H 


ARRY 


DAVE  MEETS  LESTER  BRIGHAM. 


BO  Y  TRAI'PER  SERIES. 


THE 


BOY   TRAPPER, 


BY  HARRY  CASTLEMON, 

AUTHOR  OF  "THE  FRANK  NELSON  SERIES,"    "THE  SPORTSMAN'S  CLUB  SERIES,' 
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PZ 
7 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 
A  glance  at  the  paat  .        .        .        ...        •        •        •      Pa««  5 

CHAPTER  II. 

David's  visitors • 

CHAPTER  III. 
An  offer  of  partnership 36 

CHAPTER  IV. 
More  bad  news ^ 

CHAPTER  V. 
Dan  is  astonished '  •* 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Bruin's  Island 84 

CHAPTER  VII. 
What  happened  there 112 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Dogs  in  the  manger "° 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Natural  history 143 

CHAPTER  X. 

A  bear-hunt 164 

(iii) 


IV  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Trapping  quails Page  180 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Where  the  pointer  was      ........     194 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Ten  dollars  reward   . 210 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
Some  discoveries       .........     228 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Bob's  aspirations 248 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Don's  hounds  tree  something 266 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
Conclusion 286 


THE 

BOY  TRAPPER. 


CHAPTER  I. 

A   GLANCE   AT   THE  PAST. 

~T\ON'T  worry  about  it,  mother.  It  is  nothing 
we  can  help." 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  I  might  have  helped  it.  If 
I  had  gone  to  General  Gordon  when  your  father 
first  spoke  about  that  barrel  with  the  eighty  thou- 
sand dollars  in  it,  and  told  him  the  whole  story, 
things  might  have  turned  out  differently.  But  in 
spite  of  all  he  said,  I  did  not  suppose  that  he  was 
in  earnest." 

"Neither  did  I.  That  any  man  in  his  sober 
senses  should  think  of  such  a  thing  !  Why,  mother, 
if  there  had  been  so  much  money  buried  in  that 

(5) 


6  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

potato-patch,  the  General  would  have  known  it,  and 
don't  you  suppose  he  would  have  found  it  if  he'd 
had  to  plough  the  field  up  ten  feet  deep  ?  Of  course 
he  would." 

"  But  just  think  of  the  disgrace  that  has  been 
brought  upon  us." 

"  Father  is  the  only  one  who  has  done  anything 
to  be  ashamed  of,  and  he  made  matters  worse  by 
running  away.  If  he  would  come  home  and  attend 
to  his  business,  no  one  would  say  a  word  to  him. 
The  General  told  me  so  this  morning." 

"  I  am  afraid  you  couldn't  make  your  father  be- 
lieve it." 

"  Perhaps  not,  but  if  I  knew  where  to  find  him 
I  should  try." 

It  was  David  Evans  who  spoke  last.  He  and  his 
mother  were  talking  over  the  strange  incidents  that 
had  happened  in  the  settlement  during  the  last  few 
days,  and  which  we  have  attempted  to  describe  in 
the  preceding  volume  of  this  series.  The  events 
were  brought  about  by  a  very  foolish  notion  which 
Godfrey  Evans,  David's  father,  suddenly  got  into 
his  head. 

During  our  late  war  it  was  the  custom  of  the 
people  living  in  the  South  to  conceal  their  valuables 


TUB   BOY   TRAPPER.  7 

•when  they  heard  of  the  approach  of  the  Union 
army.  They  were  also  careful  to  take  the  same 
precautions  to  save  their  property  when  it  became 
known  that  the  rebel  guerillas  were  near  at  hand ; 
for  these  worthies  were  oftentimes  but  little  better 
than  organized  bands  of  robbers,  and  the  people 
stood  as  much  in  fear  of  them  as  they  did  of  the 
Federals.  These  valuables,  consisting  for  the  most 
part  of  money,  jewelry  and  silverware,  were  some- 
times hidden  in  cellars,  in  hollow  logs  in  the  woods 
and  in  barns  ;  but  more  frequently  they  were  buried 
in  the  ground.  The  work  of  hiding  them  was 
sometimes  performed  by  the  planters  themselves, 
if  they  happened  to  be  at  home,  but  it  was  gen- 
erally intrusted  to  old  and  faithful  servants  in  whom 
their  owners  had  every  confidence.  It  not  unfre- 
quently  happened  that  these  old  and  faithful  ser- 
vants proved  themselves  utterly  unworthy  of  the 
trust  reposed  in  them.  Sometimes  they  told  the 
raiding  soldiers  where  the  property  was  concealed, 
and  at  others  they  ran  away  without  telling  even 
their  masters  where  the  valuables  were  hidden. 
General  Gordon's  old  servant,  Jordan,  was  one  of 
this  stamp.  He  went  off  with  the  Union  forces, 
who  raided  that  part  of  Mississippi,  and  before  he 


8  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

went  he  told  a  rebel  soldier,  Godfrey  Evans,  who 
happened  to  be  at  home  on  a  furlough,  and  who  was 
skulking  in  the  woods  to  avoid  capture,  that  he  had 
just  buried  a  barrel  containing  eighty  thousand 
dollars  in  gold  and  silver  in  his  master's  potato- 
patch,  and  that  none  of  the  family  knew  where  it 
was. 

This  Godfrey  Evans  had  been  well  off  in  the 
world  at  one  time.  He  had  property  to  the  amount 
of  fifteen  thousand  dollars  ;  but,  like  many  others, 
,b,e  lost  it  all  during  the  war,  and  returned  home 
after  the  surrender  of  General  Lee  to  find  himself  a 
poor  man.  His  comfortable  house  had  been  burned 
over  the  heads  of  his  wife  and  children,  who  were 
now  living  in  a  rude  hut  which  some  kind-hearted 
neighbors  had  hastily  erected ;  his  negroes,  who  had 
made  his  money  for  him,  were  all  gone ;  his  cattle 
had  been  slaughtered  by  both  rebel  and  Union  troops, 
and  his  mules  and  horses  carried  off ;  his  fine  drove  of 
hogs,  which  ran  loose  in  the  woods,  and  upon  which 
he  relied  to  furnish  his  year's  supply  of  bacon,  had 
wandered  away  and  become  wild ;  and  Godfrey  had 
nothing  but  his  rifle  and  his  two  hands  with  which 
to  begin  the  world  anew.  But  it  was  hard  to  go 
back  and  begin  again  where  he  had  begun  forty 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  9 

years  ago.  The  bare  thought  of  it  was  enough  to 
discourage  Godfrey,  who  declared  that  he  wouldn't 
do  it,  and  made  his  words  good  by  becoming  a  rov- 
ing vagabond.  He  spent  the  most  of  his  time  at 
the  landing,  watching  the  steamers  as  they  came  in, 
and  the  rest  in  wandering  listlessly  about  the  woods, 
shooting  just  game  enough  to  keep  him  in  powder, 
lead  and  tobacco.  His  sole  companion  and  friend  was 
his  son  Daniel,  who,  being  a  chip  of  the  old  block, 
faithfully  imitated  his  father's  lazy,  useless  mode  of 
life.  Mrs.  Evans  and  the  younger  son,  David,  were 
the  only  members  of  the  family  who  worked.  They 
never  lost  an  opportunity  to  turn  an  honest  penny, 
and  there  were  times  when  Godfrey  and  Dan  would 
have  gone  supperless  to  bed  if  it  had  not  been  for 
these  two  faithful  toilers. 

Godfrey  disliked  this  aimless,  joyless  existence  as 
much  as  he  disliked  work,  and  even  Dan  at  times 
longed  for  something  better.  They  both  wanted  to 
be  rich.  Godfrey  wanted  to  see  his  fine  plantation, 
which  was  now  abandoned  to  briers  and  cane,  culti- 
vated as  it  used  to  be ;  while  it  was  Dan's  ambition 
to  have  two  or  three  painted  boats  in  the  lake,  to 
have  a  pointer  following  at  his  heels,  and  to  do  his 
shooting  with  a  double-barrel  gun  that  "  broke  in 


10  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

two  in  the  middle."  He  wanted  to  take  his  morn- 
ing's exercise  on  a  spotted  pony — a  circus  horse,  he 
called  it ;  and  to  wear  a  broadcloth  suit,  a  Panama 
hat  and  patent  leather  boots,  when  he  went  to 
church  on  Sundays.  Don  and  Bert  Gordon  had  all 
these  aids  to  happiness,  and  they  were  the  jolliest 
fellows  he  had  ever  seen — always  laughing,  singing 
or  whistling.  Dan  thought  he  would  be  happy  too, 
if  he  could  only  have  so  many  fine  things  to  call 
his  own,  but  he  could  see  no  way  to  get  them,  and 
that  made  him  angry.  He  hated  Don  and  Bert  so 
heartily  that  he  could  never  look  at  them  without 
wishing  that  some  evil  might  befall  them.  He 
threatened  to  steal  their  horses,  shoot  their  dogs, 
sink  their  boats,  and  do  a  host  of  other  desperate 
things,  believing  that  in  this  way  he  could  render 
the  two  happy  brothers  as  miserable  as  he  was 
himself. 

Godfrey  and  Dan  lived  in  a  most  unenviable 
frame  of  mind  for  a  year  or  more,  and  then  the 
former  one  day  happened  to  think  of  the  barrel 
which  old  Jordan  had  told  him  was  hidden  in  the 
potato-patch.  He  spoke  of  it  while  the  family  were 
at  dinner,  and  announced  that  he  and  Dan  would 
begin  the  work  of  unearthing  the  BURIED  TREA- 


THE   BOY  TRAPPER.  11 

SURE  that  very  night.  If  they  didn't  find  it  the 
first  time  they  tried,  they  would  go  the  next  night ; 
and  they  would  keep  on  digging  until  they  obtained 
possession  of  it,  if  they  had  to  dig  up  the  whole 
state  of  Mississippi.  Dan  almost  went  wild  over 
the  news.  He  and  his  father  spent  a  few  minutes 
in  building  air-castles,  and  then  Godfrey,  who  felt 
as  rich  as  though  he  already  had  the  money  in  his 
possession,  hurried  down  to  the  landing,  entered  the 
store  there  and  called  for  a  plug  of  tobacco,  which 
the  merchant  refused  to  give  him  until  he  showed 
that  he  had  twenty-five  cents  to  pay  for  it. 

Although  Dan  and  his  father  had  great  expecta- 
tions, which  they  believed  would  very  soon  be  real- 
ized, they  did  not  neglect  to  pay  attention  to  small 
matters,  and  to  pick  up  any  stray  dollars  that 
chanced  to  fall  in  their  way.  David  was  a  famous 
dog-breaker,  and  Don  Gordon  had  offered  him  ten 
dollars  to  train  a  pointer  for  him.  The  offer  was 
made  in  the  presence  of  Dan  and  his  father,  and  the 
former  at  once  laid  his  plans  to  obtain  possession 
of  a  portion  of  the  money.  While  the  two  were  on 
their  way  to  the  landing,  where  a  shooting-match 
was  to  be  held  that  afternoon,  Dan  stopped  at 
General  Gordon's  barn,  and  having  borrowed  a 


12  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

shovel,  with  which  to  dig  up  the  buried  treasure,  he 
went  to  the  house,  where  he  found  Bert  reading  a 
book.  He  told  him  that  David  had  sent  him  there 
after  five  dollars,  as  he  wished  to  buy  a  new  dress 
for  his  mother,  and  Bert,  although  he  was  well 
aware  that,  according  to  the  agreement  his  brother 
had  made  with  David,  the  money  was  not  to  be  paid 
until  the  pointer  was  thoroughly  broken  for  the 
field,  advanced  him  the  amount  he  requested.  Ar- 
riving at  the  landing,  Dan  got  the  bill  changed  for 
notes  of  smaller  denomination,  and,  while  he  was 
picking  up  his  money,  was  surprised  by  his  father, 
who  was  greatly  amazed  to  see  his  son  with  such  a 
roll  of  greenbacks  in  his  hand.  Knowing  that  Dan 
was  too  lazy  to  work — too  much  of  a  gentleman  was 
the  way  Godfrey  expressed  it — he  could  not  imagine 
where  the  money  came  from,  and  Dan  refused  to 
enlighten  him  on  this  point,  fearing  that  if  he  did 
his  father  would  go  straight  to  Don  Gordon  and  ask 
for  the  rest  of  the  ten  dollars.  Godfrey  urged  and 
commanded  to  no  purpose,  and  was  obliged  to  be 
satisfied  with  the  loan  of  a  dollar,  which  he  pro- 
mised to  return  with  heavy  interest  as  soon  as  the 
barrel  was  found.  He  paid  seventy-five  cents  of  it 
for  the  privilege  of  entering  as  one  of  the  contest- 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  13 

ants  in  the  shooting-match,  and  the  rest  he  used  in 
purchasing  the  plug  of  tobacco  for  which  the  grocer 
had  refused  to  credit  him.  He  won  nothing  during 
the  match,  while  Dan,  to  his  father's  great  disgust, 
came  in  for  one  of  the  first  prizes — a  fine  quarter 
of  beef. 

When  the  shooting-match  was  over,  the  father 
and  son  returned  to  the  little  hovel  they  called 
home.  Dan  at  once  put  the  mule  into  the  cart  and 
started  back  to  the  landing  to  bring  home  his  quar- 
ter of  beef;  while  Godfrey,  by  pretending  to  fall 
asleep  on  the  bench  in  front  of  the  cabin,  was  able 
to  carry  out  a  little  stratagem  that  suddenly  sug- 
gested itself  to  him.  He  knew  that  Dan  was  a 
thrifty  lad  in  spite  of  his  laziness,  and  that  he 
believed  in  laying  by  something  for  a  rainy  day. 
lie  was  never  out  of  ammunition  for  his  rifle,  but 
he  always  took  care  to  keep  his  little  stock  hidden 
away,  so  that  his  father  could  not  find  it.  By 
watching  him  on  this  particular  day,  Godfrey  was 
lucky  enough  to  find  out  where  the  boy's  hiding- 
place  was.  He  went  to  it  as  soon  as  Dan  drove 
away  in  the  cart,  and  found  there  a  goodly  supply 
of  powder,  lead  and  caps,  and  also  three  dollars  and 


14  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

twenty-five  cents  in  money ;  all  of  which  he  put 
into  his  pocket. 

Dan  came  back  from  the  landing  in  due  time,  and 
his  father,  who  had  been  calculating  on  having  a 
good  supper  that  night,  was  astonished  to  find  that 
the  beef  had  been  sold.  He  was  enraged  at  first, 
but  when  he  learned  that  Dan  had  received  three 
dollars  and  a  half  for  it,  he  was  quieted  at  once,  and 
a  happy  thought  came  into  his  mind.  He  sent  Dan 
into  the  woods  to  shoot  some  squirrels  for  supper, 
and  while  the  boy  was  gone  he  went  to  the  hiding- 
place  and  put  back  the  ammunition  and  money  just 
as  he  found  them,  believing  that  when  Dan  returned 
he  would  put  the  three  dollars  and  a  half  there  too. 
Nor  was  he  mistaken.  The  boy  presently  came 
back  with  squirrels  enough  for  supper,  and  as  soon 
as  he  thought  he  could  do  so  without  being  seen  by 
any  one,  he  went  to  his  storehouse,  and  having  made 
sure  that  the  property  he  had  already  hidden  there 
was  safe,  he  added  to  it  the  sum  he  had  received  for 
the  quarter  of  beef,  and  went  away  happy.  His 
father  was  happy  too  for  he  had  seen  the  whole 
operation. 

Godfrey  was  too  tired  to  dig  for  the  buried  treas- 
ure that  night,  so  Dan  went  to  bed  as  soon  as  it  was 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  15 

fairly  dark.  His  father  waited  until  he  was  soundly 
asleep,  and  then  went  to  the  storehouse  and  took 
out  all  it  contained.  Dan's  rage  when  he  disco- 
vered his  loss  the  next  morning  was  something  to 
wonder  at.  He  knew  where  his  property  was,  and 
he  demanded  its  immediate  return,  threatening  in 
case  of  refusal,  to  tell  General  Gordon  about  the 
barrel  in  the  potato-field.  This  frightened  Godfrey, 
who  gave  up  the  contents  of  his  pockets,  but  not 
until  he  had  forced  Dan  to  tell  him  where  he  ob- 
tained the  money  he  had  seen  in  his  hands  at  the 
landing  the  day  before.  He  was  astonished  when 
he  learned  that  it  came  from  Bert  Gordon,  and  set 
his  wits  at  work  to  conjure  up  some  plan,  by  which 
he  might  obtain  possession  of  the  rest.  He  went 
over  to  the  General's  at  once,  and  there  learned 
that  Don  and  Bert  had  gone  down  to  the  landing 
with  their  father,  where  they  were  awaiting  the  ar- 
rival of  two  cousins,  whom  they  were  expecting 
from  the  North.  Godfrey  followed  them  there  with 
all  haste,  sought  an  interview  with  Don,  and  by 
telling  him  some  plausible  story,  induced  him  to 
advance  the  other  five  dollars.  Godfrey  hoped  in 
tkis  way  to  get  the  start  of  Dan  and  enjoy  his  ill- 
gotten  gains  all  by  himself,  but  Dan  was  there  and 


16  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

saw  it  all,  and  his  father,  alarmed  by  the  look  he  saw 
on  his  face,  divided  the  money  with  him.  Of  course 
David  knew  nothing  of  this.  He  was  saving  those 
ten  dollars  for  his  mother.  He  did  not  expect  to 
spend  a  cent  of  it  on  himself;  and  how  he  first 
learned  of  his  loss  and  what  was  done  about  it,  per- 
haps we  shall  see  as  our  story  progresses. 

The  two  young  gentlemen,  Clarence  and  Mar- 
shall Gordon,  for  whom  Don  and  Bert  were  waiting, 
and  who  landed  from  the  steamer,  Emma  Deane, 
that  morning,  had  been  sent  away  from  the  city  by 
their  father,  in  order  that  they  might  be  out  of  the 
way  of  temptation ;  but,  as  it  happened,  one  of 
them  ran  directly  into  it.  Clarence,  the  older,  was 
anything  but  a  model  boy.  He  was  much  addicted 
to  ale  and  cigars,  and  thought  of  nothing  in  the 
world  so  much  as  money.  He  was  a  spendthrift, 
and,  like  Godfrey  Evans,  had  a  great  desire  to  be 
rich,  but  he  never  thought  of  working  and  saving 
in  order  to  gain  the  wished-for  end.  This  good  old- 
fashioned  and  safe  way  was  too  long  and  tedious  for 
him,  and  he  was  constantly  on  the  lookout  for  a 
short  road  to  wealth  and  consequent  happiness. 
Before  he  had  been  twenty-four  hours  under  hia 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  17 

uncle's  roof,  he  thought  he  had  discovered  it,  and 
this  was  the  way  it  came  about : 

Clarence  and  his  brother  arrived  at  the  General's 
house  in  the  forenoon,  and  before  night  came,  the 
former  wished  most  heartily  that  he  had  stayed  at 
home.  He  was  lonely  and  utterly  disgusted  with 
the  quiet  of  the  country,  and  the  old-fashioned, 
prosy  way  his  two  cousins  had  of  enjoying  them- 
selves. Music,  horseback-riding,  hunting,  fishing 
and  visiting  made  up  the  round  of  their  amusements, 
and  Clarence  could  see  no  fun  in  such  things.  As 
soon  as  it  grew  dark  he  slipped  out  of  the  house, 
and  leaning  over  a  fence  that  ran  between  the  barn- 
yard and  a  potato-patch,  lighted  a  cigar  and  settled 
into  a  comfortable  position  to  enjoy  it.  He  had  not 
been  there  many  minutes,  before  he  was  startled  by 
the  stealthy  approach  of  two  persons,  a  man  and  a 
boy,  who  stopped  a  short  distance  from  him  and 
began  digging  with  a  shovel.  Clarence  listened  to 
the  words  which  the  man  uttered  for  the  encourage- 
ment of  the  boy,  who  was  doing  the  work,  and  was 
amazed  to  learn  that  there  was  a  fortune  hidden  in 
that  field,  and  that  these  two  had  come  there  to  dig 
it  up.  In  his  eagerness  and  excitement  Clarence 
2 


18  THE   BOY   TRAPPEE. 

leaned  half  way  over  the  fence,  puffing  vigorously  at 
his  cigar  all  the  while.  The  little  round  ball  of  fire 
glowing  through  the  darkness  caught  the  eye  of  the 
boy,  who  showed  it  to  his  companion,  and  the  two, 
frightened  almost  out  of  their  senses,  took  to  their 
heels,  leaving  the  eavesdropper  lost  in  wonder. 

Clarence  was  almost  overwhelmed  by  the  disco- 
very he  had  just  made.  It  was  an  opportunity  too 
good  to  be  lost,  and  he  at  once  resolved  that  if  there 
were  eighty  thousand  dollars  buried  in  that  field,  he 
must  have  a  share  of  the  money  when  it  was 
brought  to  light.  In  order  to  bring  this  about,  he 
must  find  out  who  this  man  and  boy  were.  He  had 
a  very  slight  cue  to  guide  him,  but  he  followed  it 
up  so  skilfully  that  by  noon  of  the  next  day  he 
knew  as  much  about  the  eighty  thousand  dollars  as 
Godfrey  did,  and  had  formed  a  partnership  with 
that  worthy,  Dan  being  dropped  as  a  useless  encum- 
brance. They  met,  according  to  agreement,  as  soon 
as  it  grew  dark.  It  happened  that  there  was  one 
who  witnessed  their  interview,  and  heard  all  that 
passed  between  them,  and  that  was  Don  Gordon, 
who  had  just  returned  from  the  landing,  whither  he 
had  been  to  mail  a  letter  to  his  cousin.  Not  finding 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  19 

the  hostler  about  when  he  came  back,  Don  attended 
to  his  pony  himself,  and  was  about  to  shut  up  the 
barn  for  the  night,  when  he  discovered  what  he  sup- 
posed to  be  a  thief  prowling  about.  The  lighted 
end  of  a  cigar  glowed  through  the  darkness  a  mo- 
ment later,  and  then  Don  saw  that  the  prowler  was 
his  cousin  Clarence.  Greatly  amused  at  his  mis- 
take, he  was  about  to  make  his  presence  known, 
when  it  occurred  to  him  that  since  Clarence  had 
taken  so  much  pains  to  get  out  of  sight  of  the 
family,  in  order  that  he  might  enjoy  his  cigar,  per- 
haps he  would  not  like  it  if  Don  caught  him  in  the 
act ;  so  Don  remained  in  his  place  of  concealment, 
heard  every  word  that  was  said  when  Godfrey  came 
up,  saw  both  of  them  get  over  the  fence  in  the  pota- 
to-patch, and  followed  and  watched  them  while  they 
were  digging  for  the  barrel. 

Now,  Don  was  one  of  the  most  inveterate  prac- 
tical jokers  in  the  world,  and  the  most  accomplished 
one  we  ever  saw.  Godfrey  had  received  more  than 
one  proof  of  his  skill.  He  had  been  tripped  up 
when  there  was  no  one  near  him  ;  his  hat  had  been 
knocked  off  his  head  by  invisible  hands,  and  he  had 
seen  horrid  great  things  with  eyes  of  fire  staring  at 


20  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

him  from  fence-corners,  until  he  had  become  fully 
satisfied  that  the  General's  lane  was  haunted,  and  he 
would  go  a  mile  around  through  the  fields  before  he 
would  pass  through  it  after  nightfall.  Here  was 
another  opportunity  to  frighten  him,  and  Don  knew 
just  how  to  do  it.  Before  he  went  to  sleep  that 
night,  he  had  thought  of  something  that  beat  all  the 
other  tricks  he  had  heard  of  far  out  of  sight. 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  21 


CHAPTER  II. 

DAVID'S  VISITORS. 

PTUIE  trouble  began  the  very  next  morning. 
While  Godfrey  was  sitting  on  the  bench  in 
front  of  his  cabin,  deeply  engrossed  with  his  own 
thoughts,  Dan  came  rushing  up  with  a  face  full  of 
terror,  and  conveyed  to  him  the  startling  intelli- 
gence that  a  "haunt" — a  Northern  boy  would  have 
called  it  a  ghost — had  been  seen  at  General  Gor- 
don's barn.  It  looked  exactly  like  old  Jordan,  the 
negro,  who  had  buried  the  treasure  in  the  potato- 
patch  ;  but  of  course  it  couldn't  be  old  Jordan,  for 
he  had  never  been  heard  of  since  he  ran  away  with 
the  Yankees,  and  everybody  believed  him  to  be 
dead.  Godfrey  listened  in  great  amazement  to  his 
son's  story,  and,  to  satisfy  himself  of  the  truth  of  it, 
went  up  to  the  barn,  with  his  rifle  for  company. 
He  had  not  been  there  many  minutes  before  he 
received  convincing  proof  that  Dan  had  told  the 
truth,  for  he  saw  the  object  with  his  own  eyes — a 


22  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

feeble  old  negro,  dressed  in  a  white  plantation  suit, 
and  wearing  a  battered  plug  hat,  who  limped  along 
in  plain  view  of  him,  and  finally  disappeared,  no 
one  could  tell  how  or  when.  That  was  enough  for 
Godfrey.  He  started  for  home  at  the  top  of  his 
speed,  and  scarcely  dared  to  venture  out  of  doors 
that  night.  He  had  an  appointment  with  Clarence 
Gordon  at  dark,  but  he  would  not  have  passed  that 
barn  in  his  present  state  of  mind,  if  he  had  known 
that  he  could  make  twice  eighty  thousand  dollars 
by  it. 

Bright  and  early  the  next  morning,  Clarence 
came  down  to  see  why  he  had  not  kept  his  promise, 
and  talked  to  him  in  such  a  way  that  Godfrey 
finally  agreed  to  meet  him  that  night,  the  boy  prom- 
ising to  protect  him  from  anything  in  the  shape  of 
a  ghost  that  might  cross  their  path.  lie  kept  his 
appointment  this  time,  but  he  was  sorry  enough  for 
it  afterward,  for  the  first  object  on  which  his  eyes 
rested,  when  he  and  his  companion  reached  the 
potato-field,  was  old  Jordan,  digging  away  as  if  he 
too  Avere  in  search  of  the  buried  treasure.  Godfrey 
would  have  taken  to  his  heels  at  once,  but  Clarence, 
who  did  not  believe  in  "haunts,"  walked  up  and 
seized  the  negro  by  the  arm.  After  much  argu- 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  23 

ment,  Godfrey  was  induced  to  do  the  same,  and 
then  his  fears  all  vanished,  for  it  was  a  veritable 
human  being  that  he  took  hold  of  and  not  a  spirit, 
as  he  feared  it  was.  He  declared,  too,  that  the  in- 
terloper was  the  missing  Jordan,  beyond  a  doubt, 
and  that  he  had  come  there  to  steal  the  money  he 
had  buried  in  that  same  field  years  before.  The 
negro  was  commanded  to  point  out  the  spot  where 
the  treasure  was  hidden,  but  nothing  could  be 
learned  from  the  old  fellow.  He  would  not  speak 
at  all,  until  Godfrey  threatened  to  punch  him  in 
the  ribs  with  his  shovel,  and  then  he  denied  all 
knowledge  of  the  barrel.  Upon  hearing  this, 
Clarence  and  his  companion  seized  him  by  the 
arms,  dragged  him  across  the  field,  over  the  fence 
and  down  the  road  to  Godfrey's  potato-cellar,  where 
he  was  tied  to  a  stanchion  with  a  plough-line  and 
left  with  the  assurance,  that  he  should  never  see 
daylight  again  until  he  told  where  the  fortune  was 
to  be  found. 

Godfrey  was  stirring  the  next  morning  before 
it  was  fairly  light,  and  the  first  sound  that  fell  on 
his  ears  caused  him  to  start  and  tremble  with  terror. 
He  listened  until  it  was  repeated,  and  then  started 
post  haste  for  General  Gordon's  house.  When  he 


24  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

reached  it,  he  found  the  whole  plantation  in  an  up- 
roar. Don  was  missing  and  a  search  was  being 
instituted.  Clarence  came  out  about  this  time,  and 
Godfrey  told  him  a  most  astounding  piece  of  news. 
It  wasn't  old  Jordan  at  all  whom  they  had  captured 
the  night  before,  it  was  Don  Gordon.  Godfrey  was 
sure  of  it,  for  he  had  heard  him  whistle  as  nobody 
in  the 'world  except  Don  Gordon  could  whistle.  As 
scon  as  Clarence  recovered  from  his  amazement  and 
terror,  he  mounted  Don's  pony  and  set  out  for  the 
potato-cellar  to  see  for  himself.  When  he  reached 
it,  he  found  that  the  prisoner  had  already  been  lib- 
erated by  somebody  (it  was  Bert,  who  was  guided  to 
his  place  of  confinement  by  Don's  loud  and  con- 
tinued whistling)  and  was  no  doubt  on  the  way 
home  by  that  time.  What  was  Clarence  to  do? 
Of  course  he  could  not  go  back  to  the  plantation 
and  face  his  relatives  after  what  he  had  done,  and 
there  was  no  other  house  in  the  settlement  open  to 
him.  Just  then  he  heard  the  whistle  of  a  steamer 
coming  up  the  river,  and  that  settled  the  matter  for 
him.  He  would  go  home.  He  jumped  on  the  pony 
and  was  riding  post  haste  toward  the  landing  when 
he  was  waylaid  by  Godfrey  Evans,  who  robbed  him 
of  twenty  dollars,  all  the  money  he  had  in  the 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  25 

world.  As  soon  as  he  was  released,  Clarence  made 
his  way  to  the  landing  on  foot,  reaching  it  just  in 
time  to  secure  passage  on  the  Emma  Deane,  pawned 
his  watch  for  money  enough  to  pay  his  way  home, 
and  finally  reached  his  father's  house  in  safety,  only 
to  be  packed  off  to  sea  on  the  school-ship,  where  he 
remains  to  this  day. 

Don  Gordon  reached  home  with  his  brother's 
assistance,  and  has  been  a  close  prisoner  there  ever 
since,  not  yet  having  recovered  from  the  effects  of 
his  night  in  the  potato-cellar.  Godfrey  Evans  is 
hiding  in  the  swamp  somewhere,  fearing  that  if  he 
comes  home  he  will  be  arrested  for  three  offences — 
robbing  Clarence,  assaulting  Don,  and  trying  to 
steal  the  eighty  thousand  dollars,  which  he  still 
firmly  believes  to  be  hidden  in  the  potato-patch.  A 
week  has  passed  since  the  occurrence  of  the  events 
which  we  have  so  rapidly  reviewed,  and  now  that 
you  are  acquainted  with  them,  we  are  prepared  to 
resume  our  story. 

"  And  if  your  father  doesn't  come  back,  how  are 
we  to  live  this  winter?"  asked  Mrs.  Evans,  contin- 
uing the  conversation  which  we  have  so  long  inter- 
rupted. "  How  is  he  to  live  ?" 


26  THE    BOY    TRAPPER. 

"  His  living  will  trouble  him  more  than  ours  will 
trouble  us,"  replied  David,  who,  knowing  that  he 
was  his  mother's  main  dependence  now,  tried  hard 
to  keep  up  a  brave  heart.  "  It  will  be  cold  out 
there  in  the  swamp  pretty  soon.  I  saw  a  flock  of 
wild  geese  in  the  lake  this  morning,  and  that  is  a 
sure  sign  that  winter  is  close  at  hand.  Father  had 
no  coat  on  when  he  went  away,  and  he  was  bare- 
footed, too.  And  as  for  our  living,  mother,  who's 
kept  you  in  clothes  and  coffee,  sugar  and  tea,  for 
the  last  year?" 

"  You  have,  David.  I  don't  know  what  I  should 
do  without  you.  You  are  a  great  comfort  to  me." 

"And  I'm  never  going  to  be  anything  else,  mo- 
ther. I  never  made  you  cry,  did  I  ?  I  ain't  going 
to,  either.  I  can  take  care  of  you,  and  I  will,  too. 
If  I  can't  get  work  to  do,  I  can  hunt  and  trap  small 
game,  you  know ;  and  if  I  only  had  a  rifle,  I  am 
sure  I  could  kill  at  least  one  deer  every  week. 
That,  reckoning  venison  worth  six  cents  a  pound, 
would  bring  us  in  about  thirty  dollars  a  month. 
Who  says  we  couldn't  live  and  save  money  on 
that?" 

"But  you  don't  own  a  rifle,"  said  his  mother, 
smiling  at  the  boy's  enthusiasm. 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  27 

"Well,  that's  so,"  said  David,  sadly.  "But," 
he  added,  his  face  brightening,  "  I  shall  have  ten 
dollars  coming  to  me  as  soon  as  Don  Gordon's 
pointer  is  field-broken,  and  you  shall  have  every 
cent  of  it.  Besides,  you  haven't  forgotten  that  I'm 
going  to  get  a  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  for  trapping 
quail  for  that  man  up  North,  have  you?" 

" Have  you  heard  from  him  yet?" 

David  was  obliged  to  confess  that  he  had  not. 

"  He  may  have  made  a  bargain  with  some  one 
else  before  Don's  letter  reached  him,"  continued 
Mrs.  Evans.  "You  know  this  is  not  the  only 
country  in  which  quails  are  to  be  found,  and  neither 
are  you  the  only  one  who  would  be  glad  to  make  a 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  by  trapping  them." 

"I  know  it,  mother;  but  even  if  I  can't  get  that 
job,  I  can  get  some  other  that  will  bring  us  in 
money,"  said  David,  who  was  determined  to  look  on 
the  bright  side  of  things.  "  I'll  earn  another  ten- 
dollar  bill  before  the  one  I  get  from  Don  Gordon  is 
gone,  you  may  depend  upon  it." 

With  this  assurance  the  boy  kissed  his  mother  and 
hurried  out  of  the  door,  and  Mrs.  Evans,  after  clear- 
ing away  the  remnants  of  their  frugal  breakfast,  also 
went  out  to  begin  her  daily  toil  at  the  house  of  a 


28  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

neighbor.  David  made  his  way  around  the  cabin, 
and  was  met  by  Don's  pointer,  which,  coming  as  close 
to  him  as  the  length  of  his  chain  would  permit,  waited 
for  the  friendly  word  and  caress  that  the  boy  never 
failed  to  bestow  when  he  passed  the  kennel  in  which 
the  animal  was  confined.  The  greeting  he  extended 
to  his  four-footed  friend  was  a  short  one  this  morn- 
ing, for  David  had  other  matters  on  his  mind.  He 
confidently  expected  that  a  few  days  more  would 
bring  him  the  wished-for  order  from  the  man  who 
had  advertised  for  the  quails,  and  when  it  came  he 
wanted  to  be  ready  to  go  to  work  without  the  loss  of 
an  hour ;  so  he  was  spending  all  his  spare  time  in 
building  traps.  He  had  four  completed  already, 
and  just  as  he  had  got  boards  enough  split  out  for 
the  fifth,  he  heard  the  clatter  of  horses'  hoofs  on  the 
road  and  looked  up  to  see  Bert  Gordon  and  his  bro- 
ther ride  up  to  the  fence. 

"Why,  Don,  I  am  glad  to  see  you  out  again," 
exclaimed  David,  dropping  his  hammer  and  hurry- 
ing forward  to  greet  his  friend. 

"  Thank  you,"  replied  Don,  accepting  David's 
proffered  hand.  "  I  assure  you  I  am  glad  to  be  out 
again,  too.  It's  a  fearful  bore  to  be  tied  up  in  the 
house  for  a  whole  week,  but  I  was  bound  to  come 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  29 

down  here  this  morning,  if  I  had  to  come  in  the 
carriage,  for  I  have  news  for  you,"  added  Don, 
putting  his  hand  into  the  breast-pocket  of  his 
coat. 

"Has  it  come?"  asked  David,  in  a  voice  that 
trembled  with  excitement. 

"  It  certainly  has.  It  was  addressed  to  me,  you 
know,  and  so  Bert  opened  it.  The  man  says,  he 
wants  fifty  dozen  live  quails  immediately,  and — 
but  there  it  is,  read  it  for  yourself." 

Don  produced  the  letter,  and  David  took  it  with 
a  very  unsteady  hand.  A  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
was  a  fortune  in  his  eyes,  a  larger  one  too  than  he 
had  hoped  to  earn  for  some  years  to  come.  He 
opened  the  letter  and  one  glance  at  it  showed  him 
that  the  money  was  his,  if  he  could  only  capture 
the  required  number  of  birds.  They  were  to  be 
trapped  at  once,  the  sooner  the  better,  put  into 
boxes,  which  were  to  be  marked  C.  0.  D.  and  for- 
warded, charges  paid,  to  the  address  at  the  bottom 
of  the  letter. 

"  Cod,"  repeated  David,  whose  opportunities  for 
learning  how  business  was  transacted  had  been  very 
limited,  "  does  he  mean  codfish  ?"  Don  and  Bert 
laughed  heartily. 


30  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

"  No,"  said  the  former,  as  soon  as  he  could  speak. 
"  C.  0.  D.  means  'collect  on  delivery.'  ' 

"0,"  said  David,  in  a  tone  of  voice  which 
showed  that  he  did  not  yet  fully  understand. 

"It  is  nothing  to  be  ashamed  of,"  said  Bert; 
"  we  didn't  know  what  the  letters  meant  until  father 
told  us." 

"  That's  so,"  said  Don ;  "  hoAv  is  a  fellow  to  know 
a  thing  he  has  never  had  a  chance  to  learn  ?  Now 
when  the  birds  are  caught,  you  put  so  many  of  them 
in  a  box  and  on  each  box  you  mark  the  value  of  its 
contents.  You  send  a  notice  of  shipment  to  the 
man,  and  he  will  know  when  to  look  for  the  birds. 
When  they  arrive  he  pays  the  amount  of  your  bill 
to  the  express  agent,  and  the  agent  forwards  it  to 
you.  You  run  no  risk  whatever,  for  the  man  can't 
get  the  quails  until  your  bill  is  paid." 

"Now  I'll  tell  you  what  we'll  do,"  said  Bert, 
who  saw  by  the  expression  on  David's  face  that  his 
brother  had  not  made  matters  much  clearer  by  his 
explanation,  "  you  go  to  work  and  catch  the  quails, 
and  when  you  have  made  up  the  required  number, 
we'll  help  you  ship  them  off." 

"That's  the  idea,"  said  Don.  "We'll  do  any- 
thing we  can  for  you." 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  31 

"  Thank  you,"  answered  David,  who  felt  as  if  a 
tremendous  responsibility  had  been  removed  from 
his  shoulders. 

"  I'll  write  to  the  man  to-day,  informing  him  that 
you  will  go  to  work  at  once,"  added  Don.  "  I 
don't  suppose  you  could  tell,  even  within  a  week  or 
two,  of  the  time  it  will  take  you  to  fill  the  order, 
could  you  ?" 

"I  shouldn't  like  to  make  a  guess,"  said  David. 
"  The  birds  rove  around  so  that  a  fellow  can't  tell 
anything  about  them.  They  are  plenty  now,  but 
next  week  there  may  not  be  half  a  dozen  flocks  to 
be  found." 

"  Then  I  will  write  to  him  that  the  best  you  can 
say  is,  that  you  will  lose  no  time.  How  does  the 
pointer  come  on?" 

"Finely,"  said  David.  "He  works  better  than 
half  the  old  dogs  now.  He's  smart,  I  tell  you." 

"  He  takes  after  his  owner,  you  see.  I  hope  to 
get  firmly  on  my  feet  next  week,  and  if  I  do,  I 
want  to  try  him.  Good-by." 

"Now,  there  are  two  friends  worth  having," 
thought  David,  gazing  almost  lovingly  after  the 
brothers,  as  they  rode  away.  "  I  don't  wonder  that 
everybody  likes  them.  A  hundred  and  fifty  dol- 


32  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

lars  !  Whew  !  won't  mother  have  some  nice,  warm 
clothes  this  winter,  and  won't  she  have  everything 
else  she  wants,  too?" 

The  boy  did  not  see  how  he  could  possibly  keep 
his  good  fortune  to  himself  until  his  mother  came 
home  that  night.  His  first  impulse  was  to  go  over 
to  the  neighbor's  house,  and  tell  her  all  about  it, 
but  he  was  restrained  by  the  thought  that  that 
would  be  a  waste  of  time.  He  could  make  one 
trap  in  the  hour  and  a  half  that  it  would  take  him 
to  go  and  return,  and  the  sooner  his  traps  were  all 
completed,  the  sooner  he  could  get  to  work.  His 
next  thought  was  that  he  would  let  the  traps  rest 
for  that  day,  go  down  to  the  landing,  purchase  some 
nice  present  for  his  mother  and  surprise  her  with  it 
when  she  came  home.  Of  course  he  had  no  money 
to  pay  for  it,  but  what  did  that  matter?  Silas 
Jones  was  always  willing  to  trust  anybody  whom  he 
knew  to  be  reliable,  and  when  he  learned  that  his 
customer  would  have  a  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
of  his  own  in  a  few  weeks,  he  would  surely  let  him 
have  a  warm  dress  or  a  pair  of  shoes.  When  his 
money  came  he  would  get  his  mother  something 
fine  to  wear  to  church ;  and,  while  he  was  about  it, 
wouldn't  it  be  a  good  plan  for  him  to  send  to  Mem- 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  33 

phis  for  a  nice  hunting  outfit  and  a  few  dozen  steel 
traps  ?  Like  his  father,  when  he  first  thought  of 
the  barrel  with  the  eighty  thousand  dollars  in  it, 
David  looked  upon  himself  as  rich  already ;  and 
if  he  had  attempted  to  carry  out  all  the  grand  ideas 
that  were  continually  suggesting  themselves  to  him, 
it  was  probable  that  his  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
would  be  gone  before  he  had  earned  them. 

"  Halloo,  there  !"  shouted  a  voice. 

David  looked  up  and  saw  another  horseman 
standing  beside  the  fence — Silas  Jones,  who  kept 
the  store  at  the  landing,  and  the  very  man  of  whom 
he  had  been  thinking  but  a  moment  before. 

"Come  here,  David,"  continued  Silas.  "I  am 
out  collecting  bills,  and  I  thought  I  would  ride 
around  and  see  if  you  have  heard  anything  of  that 
respected  father  of  yours  during  the  last  few  days." 

"No,  sir;  we  haven't,"  answered  David,  hanging 
his  head. 

"  Well,  I  suppose  you  know  that  he  owes  me 
eight  dollars,  don't  you?"  said  Silas. 

"I  knew  he  owed  you  something,  but  I  didn't 
think  it  was  as  much  as  that,"  replied  David,  open- 
ing his  eyes.     In  his  estimation,  eight  dollars  was  a 
debt  of  some  magnitude. 
3 


34  ,        THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

"  That's  the  amount,  as  sure  as  you  live,  and  if  I 
had  charged  him  as  much  as  I  charge  others,  it 
would  have  been  more.  I  made  a  little  reduction 
to  him,  because  I  knew  that  he  didn't  own  more 
of  this  world's  goods  than  the  law  allows.  What  is 
to  be  done  about  it  ?  Am  I  to  lose  my  money 
because  he  has  run  away  ?" 

"0,  no,"  said  David,  quickly.  "I'll  pay  it,  and 
be  glad  to  do  so.  We  may  want  groceries  some 
time,  you  know,  when  we  have  no  money  to  pay  for 
them." 

"  That's  the  way  to  talk.  Pay  up  promptly  and 
your  credit  will  always  be  good." 

"All  I  ask  of  you,"  continued  David,  "is  that 
you  will  wait  about  a  month  longer,  until " 

"Can't  do  it;  can't  possibly  do  it,"  exclaimed 
Silas,  shaking  his  head  and  waving  his  hands  up 
and  down  in  the  air.  "  Must  have  money  to-day. 
My  creditors  are  pushing  me,  and  I  must  push 
everybody  whose  name  is  on  my  books." 

"  But  my  name  isn't  on  your  books." 

"  Your  father's  is,  and  if  you  have  any  honor 
about  you,  you  will  see  the  debt  paid." 

"  That's  what  I  mean  to  do,  but  I  can't  pay  it 
now." 


THE   BOY  TRAPPER.  85 

"Can't  wait  a  single  day,"  said  Silas.  "If  the 
money  isn't  forthcoming  at  once,  you  can't  get  a 
single  thing  at  my  store  from  this  time  forward, 
unless  you  have  the  cash  to  plank  right  down  on 
the  counter." 

"  I  have  always  paid  you  for  everything  I  have 
bought  of  you,"  said  David,  with  some  spirit. 

"  I  know  it ;  but  your  father  hasn't,  and  if  you 
want  me  to  show  you  any  favors,  you  will  pay  that 
debt  to-day.  You  have  always  been  called  an 
honest  boy,  and  if  you  want  to  keep  that  reputa- 
tion, you  had  better  be  doing  something." 

So  saying,  Silas  wheeled  his  horse  and  rode  away, 
leaving  David  lost  in  wonder. 


36  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 


CHAPTER  III. 

AN    OFFER    OF   PARTNERSHIP. 

f  I  iHIS  was  the  first  time  David  had  ever  heard 
that  a  son  could  be  held  responsible  for  debts 
contracted  by  his  father.  At  first  he  did  not  believe 
it ;  but  Silas  seemed  to  think  it  could  be  done,  and 
he  was  a  business  man  and  ought  to  know  what  he 
was  talking  about.  The  truth  of  the  matter  was, 
that  Silas  Jones  was  a  hard  one  to  deal  with.  He 
wanted  every  cent  that  Avas  due  him  and  more  too, 
if  he  could  get  it.  It  made  no  difference  how  poor 
his  customers  were,  he  always  found  means  to  make 
them  pay  the  bills  they  contracted  at  his  store.  The 
eight  dollars  that  Godfrey  owed  him  looked  almost 
as  large  in  his  eyes  as  it  did  in  David's.  He  could 
not  bear  to  lose  it,  and  he  did  not  care  what  tricks 
he  resorted  to  to  get  it.  When  he  rode  away  he 
took  all  David's  peace  of  mind  with  him. 

"  Wasn't  it  lucky  that  I  didn't  go  down  to  his  store 
and  ask  him  to  trust  me  for  a  dress  for  mother?" 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  37 

thought  the  boy,  as  he  picked  up  his  hammer  and 
resumed  work  upon  his  trap.  "  He  would  have  re- 
fused me  sure.  Now  there  is  only  one  way  I  can 
pay  that  debt,  and  that  is  to  ask  Don  Gordon  for  the 
ten  dollars  he  promised  to  give  me  for  breaking  his 
pointer.  That's  something  I  don't  like,  for  the 
money  isn't  fairly  earned  yet,  but  I  don't  see  what 
else  I  can  do.  Mother  must  have  something  to  eat, 
and  the  only  way  I  can  get  it  is  by  making  a  friend 
of  Silas  by  paying  him  this  debt  father  owes  him. 
I  don't  care  for  myself,  and  as  for  Dan — let  him 
look  out  for  number  one.  That's  what  he  makes 
me  do." 

While  David  was  soliloquising  in  this  way  he 
heard  a  footstep  near  him,  and  looking  up  saw  his 
brother  Dan,  whose  appearance  and  actions  surprised 
him  not  a  little.  His  face  wore  a  smile  instead  of 
the  usual  scowl,  he  had  no  coat  on,  his  sleeves  were 
rolled  up,  and  he  carried  a  frow  in  one  hand  (a  frow 
is  a  sharp  instrument  used  for  splitting  out  shingles), 
and  a  heavy  mallet  in  the  other.  He  really  looked 
as  if  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  go  to  work,  and 
David  could  not  imagine  what  had  happened  to  put 
such  an  idea  into  his  head.  He  stopped  on  the  way 
to  speak  to  the  pointer  and  give  him  a  friendly  pat, 


38  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

and  that  was  another  thing  that  surprised  his  bro- 
ther. Dan  would  have  acted  more  like  himself  if 
he  had  given  the  animal  a  kick. 

"He's  up  to  something,"  thought  David.  "He 
wouldn't  act  that  way  if  he  wasn't.  I  shouldn't 
wonder  if  he  wants  part  of  that  money  I  am  going 
to  get  from  Don  Gordon,  but  he  needn't  waste  his 
breath  in  asking  for  it.  Every  cent  of  it  goes  into 
mother's  hands." 

"  Halloo,  Davy !"  said  Dan,  cheerfully.  "  I 
thought  mebbe  you  wouldn't  care  if  I  should  come 
out  and  lend  you  a  hand.  I  hain't  got  nothing 
much  to  do  this  morning." 

David  made  no  reply.  He  was  waiting  to  hear 
what  object  his  brother  had  in  vi3W  in  offering  his 
assistance,  and  he  knew  it  would  all  be  made  plain 
to  him  in  a  few  minutes. 

"  You  got  a  heap  of  traps  to  build,  hain't  you  ?" 
continued  Dan.  "When  be  you  goin'  to  set  'em?" 

"  I  am  going  to  set  some  of  them  to-night,"  was 
David's  reply. 

"Fifty  dozen  is  a  heap  of  birds,  ain't  it?"  said 
Dan. 

"  How  do  you  happen  to  know  anything  about 
it?"  demanded  David,  who  was  greatly  astonished. 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  39 

"  I  heerd  you  an'  Don  talkin'  about  it." 

"  Where  were  you  at  the  time?" 

"  0,  I  was  around,"  answered  Dan,  who  did  not 
care  to  confess  that  he  had  intentionally  played  the 
part  of  eavesdropper. 

David  was  silent,  for  he  wanted  to  think  about  it. 
Here  was  another  piece  of  ill  luck.  His  experience 
had  taught  him  that  if  he  wished  to  make  his  enter- 
prise successful,  he  must  keep  it  from  the  knowledge 
of  his  father  and  Dan.  If  they  found  out  that  he 
expected  to  earn  so  much  money,  they  would  insist 
on  a  division  of  the  spoils,  and  if  their  demand  was 
not  complied  with,  there  would  be  trouble  in  the 
cabin.  He  had  no  fear  of  his  father  now,  but  here 
was  Dan,  who  was  an  unpleasant  fellow  to  have 
about  when  he  was  crossed,  and  he  seemed  to  know 
all  about  it.  There  were  troublous  times  ahead; 
David  was  sure  of  that. 

"  What  does  that  feller  up  North  want  with  so 
many  quails,  any  how  ?"  asked  Dan,  as  he  placed 
one  of  the  oak  blocks  upon  its  end  and  began  split- 
ting off  a  shingle  with  the  frow.  "  He  can't  eat  'em 
all  by  hisself." 

"  No,  he  wants  to  turn  them  loose  and  let  them 
run,"  replied  David,  with  as  much  good  nature  as 


40  THE    BOY    TRAPPER. 

he  could  assume.  "You  see  they  had  an  awful 
hard  winter  up  there  last  year,  and  the  quails  were 
all  killed  off." 

"  Wall,  what  does  the  fule  want  to  let  'em  go  fur, 
arter  he's  bought  'em  ?" 

"  Why,  he  wants  to  stock  the  country.  He  be- 
longs to  a  Sportsman's  Club  up  there.  He  and  his 
friends  will  have  a  law  passed  keeping  folks  from 
shooting  them  for  two  or  three  years,  and  then 
there'll  be  just  as  many  birds  as  there  were  before." 

"  Is  that  the  way  them  rich  fellers  does  ?" 

"  That's  what  Don  says." 

"  It's  mighty  nice  to  be  rich,  ain't  it,  Davy ;  to 
have  all  the  money  you  want  to  spend,  a  nice  hoss 
to  ride,  one  of  them  guns  what  breaks  in  two  in  the 
middle  to  do  your  shootin'  with,  an'  shiny  boots  an' 
a  straw  hat  to  wear  to  church  !  I  wish  me  an'  pap 
had  found  that  thar  bar'l  with  the  eighty  thousand 
dollars  into  it.  I  wouldn't  be  wearin'  no  sich 
clothes  as  these  yere." 

"That's  all  humbug,"  exclaimed  David.  "The 
silver  things  that  old  Jordan  buried,  the  spoons, 
knives  and  dishes,  were  all  dug  up  again  and  arc 
in  use  now  every  day.  General  Gordon  never  had 
eighty  thousand  dollars  in  gold  and  silver." 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  41 

A 

"  Don't  you  b'licve  no  sich  story  as  that  ar,"  re- 
plied Dan,  with  a  knowing  shake  of  his  head. 

"  That's  what  the  Gordons  say,  anyhow." 

"  In  course  they  do ;  an'  they  say  it  kase  they 
don't  want  nobody  diggin'  arter  that  thar  bar'l. 
They  wants  to  find  it  theirselves.  How  much  be 
you  goin'  to  get  fur  these  quail,  Davy  ?  As  much 
as  twenty-five  dollars,  mebbe  thirty,  won't  you?" 

This  question  showed  that  Dan  didn't  know  all 
about  the  matter,  and  David  took  courage.  "  Yes, 
all  of  that,"  he  replied. 

"More,  I  reckon  mebbe,  won't  ye?" 

"I  think  so." 

"You  won't  get  fifty,  will  you?"  said  Dan,  open- 
ing his  eyes. 

"I  hope  I  shall." 

"  Whew  !"  whistled  Dan.  He  threw  down  his 
frow  and  mallet  and  seated  himself  on  the  pile  of 
shingles,  with  an  air  which  said  very  plainly,  that 
with  such  an  amount  of  money  in  prospect  there 
was  no  need  that  any  more  work  should  be  done. 
"  That's  a  fortin,  Davy.  It's  an  amazin'  lot  fur 
poor  folks  like  us,  an'  I  can't  somehow  git  it  through 
my  head  that  we're  goin'  to  git  so  much.  But  if 


42  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

we  do  get  it,  Davy,  we'll  have  some  high  old  times 
when  it  comes,  me  an'  you." 

"You  and  me  !"  exclaimed  David. 

"  Sartin  ;  I  want  some  good  clothes  an'  so  do  you. 
'Twon't  be  enough  to  get  us  a  hoss  apiece.  I  do 
wish  I  had  a  circus  hoss  like  Don  Gordon's,  but  we 
kin  get  some  better  shootin'  irons,  me  an'  you  kin, 
an'  mebbe  we  can  git  a  boat  to  hunt  ducks  in,  an' 
some  of  them  fish-poles  what  breaks  all  in  pieces  an' 
you  carry  'em  under  your  arm.  An',  Davy,  mebbe 
we'll  have  a  Icetle  left  to  get  something  fur  the  ole 
woman." 

"  For  mother !  I  rather  think  she'll  get  some- 
thing," said  David,  in  a  tone  of  voice  that  made  his 
brother  look  up  in  surprise.  "  She'll  get  it  all, 
every  cent  of  it." 

"  Not  by  no  means  she  won't,"  exclaimed  Dan, 
striking  his  open  palm  with  his  clenched  hand.  "  No, 
sir,  not  by  a  long  shot.  You  kin  give  her  your 
shar',  if  you're  fule  enough  to  do  it,  but  mine  I'll 
keep  fur  myself.  I'll  bet  you  on  that." 

"  Your  share?" 

"  In  course." 

"  I  didn't  know  that  you  had  any  share  in  this 
business." 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  43 

"  Whoop  !"  yelled  Dan. 

He  dashed  his  hat  upon  the  ground,  jumped  up 
and  knocked  his  heels  together,  coming  down  with 
his  feet  spread  out  and  his  clenched  hands  hanging 
by  his  side,  as  if  he  were  waiting  for  an  attack  from 
his  brother. 

"  No,  sir,"  said  David,  quietly  but  firmly,  "  this 
is  my  own  business.  If  you  want  money,  go  to 
work  and  earn  it  for  yourself.  You've  got  six  dol- 
lars and  six  bits  hidden  away  somewhere  that  you 
never  offered  to  share  with  me  or  mother  either." 

"  I  know  it,  kase  it  is  my  own.  I  worked  hard 
fur  it  too." 

"  I  don't  know  how,  or  when  you  got  it,"  an- 
swered David,  who  little  dreamed  that  his  brother 
had  more  ready  money  than  that,  and  that  the  most 
of  it  rightfully  belonged  to  himself,  "and  I  have 
never  asked  you  for  any  of  it.  The  money  I  shall 
receive  for  these  quails  will  be  mine,  all  mine." 

Dan  uttered  another  wild  Indian  yell  and  once 
more  went  through  the  process  of  preparing  himself 
for  a  fight,  leaping  high  into  the  air,  knocking  his 
heels  together,  coming  down  with  his  feet  spread 
out  and  his  hands  clenched,  and  when  he  was  fairly 
settled  on  the  ground  again,  he  exclaimed : 


44  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

"  Dave,  does  you  want  me  to  wallop  you  ?" 

"No,  I  don't,"  was  the  reply;  "but  if  you  do 
you  won't  keep  me  from  doing  what  I  please  with 
my  own  money." 

"  But  it  won't  be  your  own  when  you  get  it.  I'm 
older  nor  you  be,  an'  now  that  pap's  away  I'm  the 
man  of  the  house,  I  want  you  to  know,  an'  it's  the 
properest  thing  that  I  should  have  the  handlin'  of 
all  the  money  that  comes  into  the  family.  If  you 
don't  go  'have  yourself  it's  likely  you  won't  tech 
a  cent  of  them  fifty  dollars  when  it  comes.  If  you 
don't  go  to  crossin'  me,  I'll  give  you  your  shar'  an' 
I'll  take  mine ;  an'  we'll  get  some  nice  things  like 
Don  and  Bert  Gordon  has  got." 

"  But  how  does  it  come  that  you  will  have  any 
share  in  it?  That's  what  I  can't  understand." 

"  Why,  I  kalkerlate  to  help  you  set  the  traps  an' 
take  out  the  quail  when  they're  ketched,  an'  do  a 
heap  of  sich  hard  work." 

"  I  intend  to  do  all  that  myself,  and  it  isn't  work 
either.  It's  nothing  but  fun." 

"  But  I'll  have  a  shar'  in  it  anyhow,"  said  Dan, 
with  a  grin,  which  showed  that  he  felt  sure  of  his 
position,  "kase  look  at  the  boards  I've  split  out  fur 
you." 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  45 

David  laughed  outright.  "  How  many  of  them 
are  there?"  said  he.  "Five;  and  I  could  have 
split  them  out  in  less  than  half  the  time  you  took 
to  do  it,  and  made  better  boards  besides.  I  can't 
use  these  at  all." 

"Dave,"  said  Dan,  solemnly,  as  he  picked  up 
the  frow  arid  mallet,  "  I  see  you're  bound  to. go  agin 
me." 

"No,  I  am  not,  and  I  don't  want  you  to  go 
against  me,  either." 

"  Yes,  you  be.  You're  goin'  to  cheat  me  outen 
my  shar'  of  them  fifty  dollars,  ain't  you  now  ?" 

"  You  will  have  no  share  in  the  money.  It  will 
all  belong  to  me,  and  I  shall  give  it  to  mother." 

"  Then,  Dave,  not  a  quail  do  you  ketch  in  these 
yere  fields  so  long  as  you  hold  to  them  idees.  Don't 
you  furget  it,  nuther." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  asked  David,  in  alarm. 
"  What  are  you  going  to  do  ?" 

"  I  don't  make  no  threatenings.  I  only  say  you 
can't  ketch  no  birds  so  long  as  you  go  agin  me,  an' 
that's  jest  what  I  mean.  If  you  come  to  me  some 
day  an'  say,  '  I  wus  wrong,  Dannie,  an'  now  I'm 
goin'  to  act  decent,  like  a  brother  had  oughter  do,' 
I'll  give  you  my  hand  an'  do  what  I  can  to  help 


46  THE    BOY    TRAPPER. 

you.  You've  got  a  big  job  afore  you,  an'  you  can't 
by  no  means  do  it  alone.  You'd  oughter  have 
somebody  to  help  you,  an'  thar's  a  heap  of  hard 
work  in  me,  the  fust  thing  you  know." 

"That's  so,"  thought  David,  running  his  eyes 
over  his  brother's  stalwart  figure ;  "  but  I  guess  it 
will  stay  there." 

"  We  can  make  them  fifty  dollars  easy,  if  we  pull 
together ;  but  you  can't  make  'em  by  yourself,  an' 
you  shan't,  nuther.  You  hear  me  ?" 

As  Dan  said  this  he  disappeared  around  the 
corner  of  the  cabin,  leaving  his  brother  standing 
silent  and  thoughtful.  He  came  out  again  in  a  few 
minutes  with  his  rifle  on  his  shoulder,  and  without 
saying  another  word  to  David  or  even  looking 
toward  him,  climbed  over  the  fence  and  went  into 
the  woods.  When  he  was  out  of  sight,  David  sat 
down  on  one  of  his  traps  and  went  off  into  a  brown 
study.  He  was  in  a  bad  scrape,  that  was  plain ; 
and  the  longer  he  thought  about  it,  the  darker  the 
prospect  seemed  to  grow.  He  had  his  choice  be- 
tween two  courses  of  action :  he  must  either  take 
Dan  into  partnership,  divide  the  money  with  him 
when  it  was  earned,  and  permit  himself  to  be  brow- 
beaten and  driven  about  as  if  he  were  little  better 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  47 

than  a  dog ;  or  he  must  make  an  enemy  of  him  by 
asserting  his  rights.  Which  of  the  two  was  the 
more  disagreeable  and  likely  to  lead  to  the  most 
unpleasant  consequences,  he  could  not  determine. 
If  Dan  were  accepted  as  a  partner,  he  would  insist 
on  handling  all  the  money,  and  in  that  case  Mrs. 
Evans  would  probably  see  not  a  single  cent  of  it ; 
for  Dan  did  not  care  who  suffered  so  long  as  his 
own  wishes  were  gratified.  If  he  stuck  to  the  reso- 
lution he  had  already  formed,  and  went  ahead  on 
his  own  responsibility,  Dan  would  smash  his  traps 
whenever  he  happened  to  find  them  (he  was  always 
roaming  about  in  the  woods,  and  there  was  hardly  a 
square  rod  of  ground  in  the  neighborhood  that  he 
did  not  pass  over  in  the  course  of  a  week),  and  liber- 
ate or  wring  the  necks  of  the  birds  that  might 
chance  to  be  in  them.  He  never  could  capture  so 
many  quails  if  Dan  was  resolved  to  work  against 
him,  and  neither  could  he  make  his  enterprise  suc- 
cessful if  he  allowed  him  an  interest  in  it.  David 
did  not  know  what  to  do. 

"  I  might  as  well  give  it  up,"  said  he  to  himself, 
after  a  few  minutes'  reflection.  "  I'll  go  up  and  tell 
Don  that  I  can't  fill  the  order ;  and  while  I  am 
about  it,  I  might  as  well  ask  him  for  that  money. 


48  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

Perhaps,  if  I  pay  father's  debt,  Silas  Jones  will 
give  us  what  we  need  until  I  can  find  something 
to  do." 

With  this  thought  in  his  mind,  David  arose  and 
went  into  the  cabin.  He  put  on  the  tattered  gar- 
ment lie  called  a  coat,  exchanged  his  dilapidated  hat 
for  another  that  had  not  seen  quite  so  hard  service, 
and  tent  his  steps  toward  General  Gordon's  house. 
While  he  was  hurrying  along,  thinking  about  his 
troubles  and  the  coming  interview  with  Don  Gor- 
don, and  wondering  how  he  could  word  his  request 
so  that  his  friend  would  not  feel  hard  toward  him 
for  asking  for  his  money  before  it  had  been  earned, 
he  was  almost  ridden  down  by  a  horseman,  who 
came  galloping  furiously  along  the  road,  and  who 
was  close  upon  him  before  David  knew  there  was 
any  one  near. 

"  Get  out  of  the  Avay,  there  !"  shouted  the  rider. 
"Are  you  blind,  that  you  run  right  under  a  fellow's 
horse  that  way?" 

David  sprang  quickly  to  one  side,  and  the  horse- 
man drew  up  his  nag  with  a  jerk  and  looked  down 
at  him.  It  was  Lester  Brigham,  one  of  the  neigh- 
borhood boys  of  whom  we  have  never  before  had 
occasion  to  speak.  He  was  comparatively  a  new 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  49 

resident  in  that  country.  He  had  been  there  only 
about  a  year,  but  during  that  time  he  had  made 
himself  heartily  detested  by  almost  all  the  boys 
about  Rochdale.  Of  course  he  had  his  cronies — 
every  fellow  has ;  but  all  the  best  youngsters,  like 
Don  and  Bert  Gordon  and  Fred  and  Joe  Packard, 
would  have  little  to  do  with  him.  He  had  lived  in 
the  North  until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  then  his 
father  removed  to  Mississippi,  purchased  the  planta- 
tion adjoining  General  Gordon's,  and  began  the  cul- 
tivation of  cotton. 

Mr.  BFigham  was  said  to  be  the  richest  man  in 
that  county,  and  Lester  had  more  fine  things  than 
all  the  rest  of  the  boys  about  there  put  together. 
He  took  particular  pride  in  his  splendid  hunting 
and  fishing  outfit,  and  it  was  coveted  by  almost 
every  boy  who  had  seen  it.  He  had  four  guns — all 
breech-loaders ;  a  beautiful  little  fowling-piece  for 
such  small  game  as  quails  and  snipes  ;  a  larger  one 
for  ducks  and  geese ;  a  light  squirrel  rifle,  some- 
thing like  the  one  Clarence  Gordon  owned ;  and  a 
heavier  weapon,  which  he  called  his  deer  gun,  and 
which  carried  a  ball  as  large  as  the  end  of  one's 
thumb.  He  had  two  jointed  fish-poles — one  a  light, 
split  bamboo,  such  as  is  used  in  fly-fishing,  and  the 
4 


50  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

other  a  stout  lancewood,  for  such  heavy  fish  as  black 
bass  and  pike. 

If  there  was  any  faith  to  be  put  in  the  stories  he 
told,  Lester  was  a  hunter  and  fisherman  who  had 
few  equals.  Before  he  came  to  the  South,  it  was 
his  custom,  he  said,  to  spend  a  portion  of  every 
winter  in  the  woods  in  the  northern  part  of  Michi- 
gan, and  many  a  deer  and  bear  had  fallen  to  his  rifle 
there.  He  could  catch  trout  and  black  bass  where 
other  fellows  would  not  think  of  looking  for  them, 
and  as  for  quails,  it  was  no  trouble  at  all  for  him  to 
make  a  double  shot  and  bag  both  the  birds  every 
time.  There  were  boys  in  the  neighborhood  who 
doubted  this.  Game  of  all  kinds  was  abundant,  and 
Lester  was  given  every  opportunity  to  exhibit  the 
skill  of  which  he  boasted  so  loudly,  but  he  was 
never  in  the  humor  to  do  it.  He  seldom  went  hunt- 
ing, and  when  he  did  he  always  went  alone,  and  no 
one  ever  knew  how  much  game  he  brought  home. 

"Your  name  is  Evans,  isn't  it?"  demanded  Lester. 

David  replied  that  it  was. 

"Are  you  the  fellow  who  intends  to  trap  fifty 
dozen  quail  in  this  county,  and  send  them  up 
North?" 

"  I  am,"  answered  David. 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  51 

"  Well,  I  just  rode  down  here  on  purpose  to  tell 
you  that  such  work  as  that  will  not  be  allowed." 

"  Who  will  not  allow  it  ?" 

"I  will  not,  for  one,  and  my  father  for  another." 

"What  have  you  to  say  about  it ?"  asked  David, 
who  did  not  like  the  insolent  tone  assumed  by  the 
young  horseman.  "Do  the  birds  belong  to  you?" 

"  They  are  as  much  mine  as  they  are  yours,  and 
if  you  have  a  right  to  trap  them  and  ship  them  off, 
I  have  a  right  to  say  that  you  shan't  do  it." 

"  Why  not  ?     What  harm  will  it  do  ?" 

"  It  will  do  just  this  much  harm :  it  will  make 
the  birds  scarce  about  here,  and  there  are  no  more 
than  we  want  to  shoot  ourselves.  0,  you  needn't 
laugh  about  it,  I  mean  just  what  I  say ;  and  if  you 
don't  promise  that  you  will  let  the  quail  alone,  you 
will  see  trouble.  I  am  going  to  get  up  a  Sports- 
man's Club  among  the  fellows,  and  then  we'll  keep 
such  poachers  and  pot-hunters  as  you  where  you 
belong.  No  one  objects  to  your  shooting  the  birds 
over  a  dog — that's  the  way  to  shoot  them  ;  but  yo\i 
shan't  trap  them  and  send  them  out  of  the  country. 
Will  you  promise  that  you  will  give  up  the  idea?" 

"No,  I  won't,"  answered  Pavid. 

"  Then  you'll  ftud  yourself  in  the  hands  of  the 


52  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

law,  the  first  thing  you  know,"  exclaimed  Lester, 
angrily.  "We  won't  stand  any  such  work.  Don 
Gordon  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  himself  for  what  he 
has  done.  He's  the  meanest " 

"  Hold  on,  there  !"  interrupted  David,  with  more 
spirit  than  he  had  yet  exhibited.  "  You  don't  want 
to  say  anything  hard  about  Don  while  I  am  around. 
He's  a  friend  of  mine,  and  I  won't  hear  anybody 
abuse  him.  lie's  the  best  fellow  in  the  settlement, 
and  so  is  his  brother ;  and  any  one  who  talks  against 
him  is  just  the  opposite." 

Lester  seemed  very  much  astonished  at  this  bold 
language.  He  glared  down  at  David  for  a  moment 
and  then  slipping  his  right  hand  through  the  loop 
on  the  handle  of  his  riding-whip,  pulled  his  feet  out 
of  the  stirrups  and  acted  as  if  he  were  about  to  dis- 
mount. "  Do  you  know  who  you  are  talking  to?" 
said  he. 

"Yes,  I  do,"  replied  David,  "and  that's  iust  the 
kind  of  a  fellow  I  am." 

Lester  looked  sharply  at  the  ragged  youth  before 
him  and  then  put  his  feet  back  into  the  stirrups 
again  and  settled  himself  firmly  in  the  saddle.  He 
felt  safer  there.  "  I'll  be  even  with  you  for  that," 
said  he.  "You  shan't  catch  any  quail  in  these 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  53 

• 

woods  this  winter.     I'll  break  up  every  trap  I  find 
and  I'll  make  the  rest  of  the  fellows  do  the  same." 

Lester  gave  emphasis  to  his  words  by  shaking  his 
riding-whip  at  David,  and  then  wheeled  his  horse 
and  rode  away. 


54  THE  BOY  TRAPPER. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

MORE   BAD   NEWS. 

"T^AVID'S  feelings,  as  lie  stood  there  in  the  road, 
~^^^  gazing  after  the  retreating  horseman,  were  by 
no  means  of  the  most  pleasant  nature.  He  was 
.naturally  a  cheerful,  light-hearted  boy,  and  he 
would  not  look  on  the  dark  side  of  things  if  he 
could  help  it.  But  he  couldn't  help  it  now.  Here 
was  more  trouble.  If  he  had  been  disposed  to  give 
up  in  despair  when  he  found  that  his  brother  was 
working  against  him,  he  had  more  roason  to  be  dis- 
couraged when  he  learned  that  a  new  enemy  had 
suddenly  appeared,  and  from  a  most  unexpected 
quarter,  too.  That  was  the  way  he  looked  at  the 
matter  at  first ;  but  after  a  little  reflection,  he  felt 
more  like  defying  Dan  and  Lester  both.  What 
business  had  either  of  them  to  interfere  with  his 
arrangements,  and  say  that  he  should  not  earn  an 
honest  dollar  to  give  his  mother,  if  he  could  ?  None 
whatever,  and  he  would  succeed  in  spite  of  them. 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  55 

He  would  get  that  grocery  bill  off  his  hands  the  first 
thing,  and  when  he  was  square  with  the  world,  he 
would  go  to  work  in  earnest  and  outwit  all  his  foes, 
no  matter  how  numerous  or  how  smart  they  might 
be.  He  would  tell  Don  all  about  it  and  be  governed 
by  his  advice. 

Having  come  to  this  determination,  David  once 
more  turned  his  face  toward  the  General's  house. 
A  few  minutes'  rapid  walking  brought  him  to  the 
barn  and  there  he  found  the  boy  he  wanted  to  see. 
The  brothers  had  just  returned  from  a  short  ride — 
Don  was  not  yet  strong  enough  to  stand  his  usual 
amount  of  exercise — and  having  turned  the  ponies 
over  to  the  hostler,  were  on  the  point  of  starting  for 
the  house,  when  David  came  in. 

"  Halloo,  Dave  !"  exclaimed  Don,  who  was  always 
the  first  to  greet  him.  "  Traps  all  built  ?" 

"Not  yet,"  answered  David,  trying  to  look  as 
cheerful  as  usual. 

"  You  have  plenty  of  nails  and  timber,  I  suppose. 
If  not  come  straight  to  us.  It  will  never  do  to  let 
this  thing  fall  through  for  want  of  a  little  capital 
to  go  on,"  said  Don,  who  was  as  much  interested  in 
David's  success  as  though  he  expected  to  share  in 
the  profits  of  the  enterprise. 


56  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

"  I  have  everything  I  want  in  the  way  of  nails 
and  boards,"  replied  David  "  but  I — you  know — 
may  I  see  you  just  a  minute,  Don  ?" 

"  Of  course  you  may,  or  two  or  three  minutes  if 
you  wish.  Come  on,  Bert.  I  have  no  secrets  from 
my  brother,  now,"  said  Don  with  a  laugh.  "  I  kept 
one  thing  secret  from  him  and  got  myself  into 
trouble  by  it.  If  I  had  told  him  of  it  perhaps  he 
would  have  made  me  behave  myself.  Now  what 
is  it?"  he  added,  when  the  three  had  drawn  up  in 
one  corner  of  the  barn,  out  of  earshot  of  the  host- 
ler. 

David  was  silent.  He  had  made  up  his  mind 
just  what  he  wanted  to  say  to  Don,  but  Lester 
Brigham's  sudden  appearance  and  -the  threats  he 
had  made  had  scattered  all  his  ideas,  and  he  could 
not  utter  a  word. 

"  Speak  up,"  said  Bert  encouragingly.  "  You 
need  not  hesitate  to  talk  freely  to  us.  But  what's 
the  matter  with  you  ?  You  look  as  though  you  were 
troubled  about  something." 

"  I  am  troubled  about  a  good  many  things,"  said 
David,  speaking  now  after  a  desperate  effort.  "  In 
the  first  place,  there  are  two  fellows  here  who  say 
I  shan't  trap  any  birds." 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  57 

"  Who  are  they  ?"  demanded  Don,  surprised  and 
indignant. 

"My  brother  Dan  is  one  of  them." 

"  Whew !"  whistled  Don,  opening  his  eyes  and 
looking  at  Bert. 

"  I  didn't  want  him  to  know  anything  about  it," 
continued  David,  "  for  I  was  certain  that  he  would 
make  me  trouble ;  but  he  found  it  out  by  listening 
while  I  was  talking  about  it,  and  wanted  to  join  in 
with  me.  I  told  him  I  didn't  want  him,  and  he  said 
Z  shouldn't  catch  any  birds." 

"  Did  he  say  what  he  would  do  to  prevent  it  ?" 
asked  Bert. 

"  O,  it's  easy  enough  to  tell  what  he  will  do," 
exclaimed  Don.  "  He'll  steal  or  break  the  traps 
and  kill  the  quails.  There  are  plenty  of  ways  in 
which  he  can  trouble  us,  if  he  makes  up  his  mind  to 
it." 

"  Who  is  the  other  ?"  asked  Bert. 

"  Lester  Brigham." 

Don  whistled  again,  and  then  looked  angry. 

"  When  did  you  see  him,  and  what  did  he  have 
to  say  about  it?"  he  asked.  ''Has  he  any  reason 
to  hold  a  grudge  against  you  ?" 

"  I  didn't  know  that  he  had  until  I  met  him  in 


58  THE    BOY    TRAPPER. 

the  road  this  morning.  He  says  he  won't  have  me 
trapping  quails  and  sending  them  off  North,  because 
it  will  make  them  scarce  here.  He  says  he  is  going 
to  get  up  a  Sportsman's  Club  among  the  fellows, 
and  then  he  will  keep  pot-hunters  like  me  where  we 
belong." 

"  Oho  !"  exclaimed  Bert.  "  It  seems  to  me  that 
he  is  taking  a  good  deal  upon  himself." 

"  That  is  what  he  has  done  ever  since  he  has  been 
here,  and  that's  why  there  are  so  many  boys  in  the 
settlement  who  don't  like  him,"  said  Don.  "But 
he  mustn't  meddle  with  this  business.  He  can't 
come  down  here  into  a  country  that  is  almost  a  wil- 
derness and  manage  matters  as  they  do  up  North. 
Father  told  me  the  other  day  that  in  some  states 
they  have  laws  to  protect  game,  and  it  is  right  that 
they  should  have,  for  there  are  so  many  hunters  that 
if  they  were  not  restrained  they  would  kill  all  the 
birds  and  animals  in  a  single  season.  The  most  of 
the  hunters  live  in  the  city,  and  when  they  get  out 
with  their  guns  they  crack  away  at  everything  they 
see ;  and  if  they  happen  to  kill  a  doe  with  a  fawn  at 
her  side,  or  a  quail  with  a  brood  of  chicks,  it  makes 
no  difference  to  them.  Sportsman's  Clubs  are  of 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  59 

some  use  there,  but  we  have  no  need  of  them  in  this 
country." 

"  He  wants  the  quails  left  here,  so  that  he  can 
shoot  them  over  his  dog,"  continued  David. 

"  0,  he  does  !  When  is  he  going  to  begin  ?  He 
has  been  here  more  than  a  year,  and  nobody  has 
ever  heard  of  his  killing  a  quail  yet.  He  must 
keep  his  fingers  out  of  this  pie.  We  can't  put  up 
with  any  interference  from  him.  Any  more  bad 
news?"  added  Don,  seeing  that  David's  face  had 
not  yet  wholly  cleared  up. 

"  Yes,  there  is,"  replied  the  latter,  speaking  rap- 
idly, for  fear  that  his  courage  might  desert  him 
again.  "  Just  after  you  left  me  this  morning,  Silas 
Jones  rode  up  and  dunned  me  for  eight  dollars  that 
father  owes  him." 

"  Why,  you  have  nothing  to  do  with  that,"  said 
Bert. 

"Nothing  whatever,"  chimed  in  Don.  "You 
tell  Mr.  Jones  that  if  he  wants  his  money  he  had 
better  hunt  up  your  father  and  ask  him  for  it.  You 
don't  owe  him  anything,  do  you  ?" 

"  No,  but  he  says  that  if  I  don't  settle  that  bill, 
he'll  never  let  me  have  a  thing  at  his  store  again 
unless  I  have  the  money  in  my  hand  to  pay  for  it. 


60  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

I  haven't  a  cent  of  my  own,  and  I  thought  if  you 
could  let  me  have  the  ten  dollars  you  promised  me 
for  breaking  the  pointer,  I  should  be  much  obliged 
to  you." 

"If  I  would  do  what?"  asked  Don,  in  amaze- 
ment. 

"Why,  David,"  said  Bert,  "the  money  was  all 
paid  to  you  in  less  than  twenty-four  hours  after  the 
dog  was  placed  in  your  keeping." 

"Paid  to  me?"  gasped  David. 

"Well,  no,  not  to  you,  but  to  your  order." 

"  To  my  order  !"  repeated  the  boy,  who  began  to 
think  he  was  dreaming. 

"Yes,  to  your  order,"  said  Don.  "We  left  the 
pointer  in  your  hands  at  noon,  while  you  were  at 
dinner.  In  less  than  an  hour  afterward,  Dan  came 
over  and  said  that  you  wanted  five  dollars  to  buy  a 
dress  for  your  mother,  and  Bert  gave  him  the 
money.  The  next  forenoon  your  father  met  me  at 
the  landing  and  told  me  you  wanted  the  other  five 
to  buy  some  medicine  for  your  mother,  who  was  ill 
with  the  ague,  and  I  gave  it  to  him,  and  I  just  know 
I  made  a  mess  of  it,"  added  Don,  bringing  his  hands 
together  with  a  loud  slap. 

It  was  plain  from  the  looks  of  David's  face  that 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  61 

he  had.  The  boy  listened  with  eyes  wide  open,  his 
under  jaw  dropping  down  and  his  face  growing  pale, 
as  the  duplicity  of  which  his  father  and  brother  had 
been  guilty  was  gradually  made  plain  to  him,  and 
when  at  last  his  mind  grasped  the  full  import  of 
Don's  words,  he  covered  his  face  with  his  hands  and 
cried  aloud.  Don  and  Bert  looked  at  him  in  sur- 
prise, and  then  turned  and  looked  at  each  other. 
They  who  had  never  wanted  for  the  necessities,  and 
who  had  never  but  once,  and  that  was  during  the 
war,  lacked  the  luxuries  of  life,  could  not  under- 
stand why  his  grief  should  be  so  overwhelming ;  but 
they  could  understand  that  they  had  been  deceived, 
and  even  the  gentle-spirited  Bert  was  indignant  over 
it.  The  impulsive  Don  could  scarcely  restrain  him- 
self. He  walked  angrily  up  and  down  the  floor, 
thrashing  his  boots  with  his  riding-whip  and  crack- 
ing it  in  the  air  so  viciously  that  the  ponies  danced 
about  in  their  stalls. 

" Dave,"  said  Bert,  at  length,  "are  we  to  under- 
stand that  your  father  and  brother  came  to  us  and 
got  that  money  without  any  authority  from  you?" 

"  That's  just  what  they  did,"  sobbed  David. 

"And  you  never  saw  a  cent  of  it?" 

"  Not  one  cent,  or  mother  either." 


62  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

"Well,  what  of  it?"  exclaimed  Don.  "Brace 
up  and  be  a  man,  Dave.  A  ten-dollar  bill  is  not 
an  everlasting  fortune." 

"  I  know  it  isn't  much  to  you,  but  it  is  a  good 
deal  to  me.  You  don't  know  what  the  loss  of  it 
means.  It  means  corn-bread  and  butter-milk  for 
breakfast,  dinner  and  supper." 

"Well,  what  of  that?"  said  Don,  again.  "I 
have  eaten  more  than  one  dinner  at  the  Gayoso 
House,  in  Memphis — and  it  is  one  of  the  best  hotels 
in  the  country — when  corn-bread  and  butter-milk 
were  down  in  the  bill  of  fare  as  part  of  the  dessert." 

"Well,  if  all  the  folks  who  stop  at  that  hotel 
had  to  live  on  it,  as  we  do,  they  would  call  for  some- 
thing else,"  replied  David.  "  How  am  I  to  settle 
Silas  Jones's  bill,  I'd  like  to  know  ?" 

"  Never  mind  Silas  Jones's  bill.  If  he  says  any- 
thing more  to  you  about  it,  tell  him  that  you  don't 
owe  him  a  cent." 

"  And  how  am  I  to  send  my  quails  away  ?  That 
man  said  the  charges  must  be  paid." 

"Ah!  that's  a  more  serious  matter,"  eaid  Don, 
placing  his  hands  on  his  hips,  and  looking  down  at 
the  floor. 

"It  is  all  serious  to  me,"  said  David,  brushing 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  63 

the  tears  from  his  eyes,  "  but  I'll  work  through 
somehow.  I'll  go  home  now  and  think  about  it, 
and  if  I  don't  earn  that  money  in  spite  of  all  my 
bad  luck,  it  will  not  be  because  I  don't  try." 

"  That's  the  way  to  talk,"  said  Don,  giving  David 
an  encouraging  slap  on  the  back.  "  That's  the 
sort  of  spirit  I  like.  Bert  and  I  will  see  you  again, 
perhaps  this  afternoon.  In  the  meantime  we'll  talk 
the  matter  over,  and  if  we  three  fellows  are  not 
smart  enough  to  beat  the  two  who  are  opposing  us, 
we'll  know  the  reason  why." 

David  hurried  out  of  the  barn,  in  order  to  hide  his 
tears,  which  every  instant  threatened  to  break  forth 
afresh,  and  Don,  turning  to  the  hostler,  ordered  him 
to  put  the  saddles  on  the  ponies  again.  "  Father  is 
down  in  the  field,"  said  he,  to  his  brother,  "  and  it 
may  be  two  or  three  hours  before  he  will  come  to 
the  house.  I  can't  wait  so  long,  so  we'll  ride  down 
there  and  talk  the  matter  over  with  him.  He  hasn't 
forgotten  that  he  was  a  boy  once  himself,  and  he 
will  tell  us  just  what  we  ought  to  do." 

The  ponies  were  led  out  again  in  a  few  minutes, 
and  Bert,  having  assisted  his  brother  into  the  sad- 
dle, mounted  his  own  nag,  and  the  two  rode  down 
the  lane  toward  the  field.  Of  course  they  could 


64  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

talk  about  only  one  thing,  and  that  was  the  ill-luck 
that  seemed  to  meet  their  friend  David  at  every 
turn.  The  longer  Bert  thought  and  talked  of  the 
trick  that  had  been  played  upon  himself  and  his 
brother,  the  more  indignant  he  became ;  while  Don, 
having  had  time  to  recover  a  little  of  his  usual  good 
nature,  was  more  disposed  to  laugh  over  it.  He  de- 
clared that  it  was  the  sharpest  piece  of  business  he 
had  ever  heard  of,  and  wondered  greatly  that  God- 
frey and  Dan,  whom  he  had  always  believed  to  be 
as  stupid  as  so  many  blocks,  should  have  suddenly 
exhibited  so  much  shrewdness.  Bert  declared  that 
it  was  a  wicked  swindle ;  and  the  earnestness  with 
which  he  denounced  the  whole  proceeding  made 
Don  laugh  louder  than  ever.  Of  course  the  latter 
did  not  forget  that  the  trick  which  so  highly  amused 
him,  had  been  the  means  of  placing  David  in  a  very 
unpleasant  situation,  but  still  he  did  not  think  much 
about  that,  for  he  believed  that  his  father  would  be 
able  to  make  some  suggestions,  which,  if  acted  upon, 
would  straighten  things  out  in  short  order. 

"  Well,  Don,  how  does  it  seem,  to  find  yourself  in 
the  saddle  again  ?  You  appear  to  enjoy  the  exer- 
cise, but  Bert  doesn't.  He  looks  as  though  he  had 
lost  his  last  friend." 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  65 

This  was  the  way  General  Gordon  greeted  his 
boys,  when  they  rode  up  beside  the  stump  on  which 
he  was  seated,  superintending  the  negroes  who  were 
at  work  in  the  field.  Bert  brightened  up  at  once, 
but  replied  that  he  thought  he  had  good  cause  to 
look  down-hearted,  and  with  this  introduction  he 
went  on  and  told  David's  story  just  as  the  latter  had 
told  it  to  him  and  his  brother.  The  General  lis- 
tened good-naturedly,  as  he  always  did  to  anything 
his  boys  had  to  tell  him,  and  when  Bert  ceased 
speaking,  he  pulled  off  a  piece  of  the  stump  and 
began  to  whittle  it  with  his  knife.  The  boys  waited 
for  him  to  say  something,  but  as  he  did  not,  Bert 
continued : 

"  We  came  down  here  to  ask  you  what  we  ought 
to  do  about  it,  and  we  want  particularly  to  know 
your  opinion  concerning  the  trick  Dan  and  his  father 
played  on  us." 

"  That  is  easily  given,"  replied  the  General.  "  My 
opinion  is  that  Master  Don  is  just  ten  dollars  out 
of  pocket." 

"  You  don't  mean  that  I  must  pay  it  over  again  ?" 
exclaimed  Don. 

"  No,  I  don't  mean  that,  because  you  haven't  paid 
it  at  all." 
5 


66  TIIE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

"  Why,  father,  I " 

"  I  understand.  Dan  made  a  demand  upon  Bert, 
and  Bert  borrowed  five  dollars  of  his  mother  and 
gave  it  to  him.  Godfrey  came  to  you  for  the  other 
five,  and  you  gave  it  to  him.  David  has  not  yet 
been  paid  for  breaking  the  pointer." 

"No,  sir;  but  we  supposed  that  his  father  and 
brother  had  authority  to  ask  us  for  the  money." 

"You  had  no  right  to  suppose  anything  of  the 
kind.  You  ought  to  have  paid  the  money  into 
David's  own  hands,  or  else  satisfied  yourselves  that 
he  wanted  it  paid  to  some  one  else.  Among  busi- 
ness men  it  is  customary,  in  such  cases,  to  send  a 
written  order.  You  must  pay  David,  and  this  time 
be  sure  that  he  gets  the  money." 

"  Whew !"  whistled  Don,  who  was  very  much 
surprised  by  this  decision.  "  That  will  make  a  big 
hole  in  the  money  I  was  saving  for  Christmas ;  but 
David  needs  it  more  than  I  do,  and  besides  it 
belongs  to  him.  What  shall  we  do  to  Godfrey  and 
Dan  ?  They  obtained  those  ten  dollars  under  false 
pretences,  did  they  not?" 

"  I  don't  know  whether  a  lawyer  could  make  a 
case  out  of  that  or  not,"  said  the  General,  with  a 
laugh.  "  I  am  afraid  he  couldn't,  so  you  will  have 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  67 

• 

to  stand  the  loss.  Perhaps  you  will  learn  something 
by  it." 

"  I  am  quite  sure  that  I  have  learned  something 
already,"  replied  Don.  "But  now  about  Dan  and 
Lester.  How  are  we  going  to  keep  them  from  inter- 
fering with  David?" 

"  Why,  it  seems  to  me  that  I  could  hide  my  traps 
where  they  would  never  think  of  looking  for  them, 
and  where  I  would  be  sure  to  catch  quails,  too.  If  I 
thought  I  couldn't,  I  would  set  them  all  on  this 
plantation,  and  any  one  who  troubled  them  would 
render  himself  liable  for  trespass." 

"Aha!"  exclaimed  Don,  who  caught  the  idea  at 
once. 

"But,  in  order  to  throw  Dan  off  the  scent  en- 
tirely, you  might  have  David  come  up  to  our  shop 
every  day  and  build  his  traps  there.  He  will  find 
all  the  tools  he  wants,  and  those  shingles  we  tore 
off  that  old  corn-crib  will  answer  his  purpose  better 
than  new  ones,  because  they  are  old  and  weather- 
beaten,  and  look  just  like  the  wood  in  the  forest. 
When  I  was  a  boy,  I  never  had  any  luck  in  catching 
birds  in  bright  new  traps.  When  the  birds  are 
caught,  he  can  put  them  into  one  of  those  unoccu- 


68  THE    BOY    TRAPPER. 

pied  negro  cabins  and  lock  them  up  until  he  is 
ready  to  send  them  off." 

"That's  the  very  idea!"  cried  Don,  gleefully. 
"We  knew  that  if  there  was  any  way  out  of  the 
difficulty,  you  would  be  sure  to  see  it." 

The  General  bowed  in  acknowledgment  of  the 
compliment,  and  the  brothers  turned  their  horses 
about  and  rode  away.  When  they  reached  the  barn 
Don  was  willing  to  confess  that  he  was  very  tired. 
Biding  on  horseback  is  hard  work  for  one  who  is 
stiff  in  every  joint  and  lame  all  over ;  but  Don 
could  not  think  of  going  into  the  house  and  taking 
a  rest.  He  had  been  a  close  prisoner  there  for  a 
whole  week,  and  now  that  he  had  taken  a  breath 
of  fresh  air  and  stirred  his  sluggish  blood  with  a 
little  exhilarating  exercise,  he  could  not  bear  to  go 
back  to  his  sofa  again.  He  proposed  that  they 
should  leave  their  ponies  at  the  barn  and  go  up  to 
David's  in  the  canoe.  They  would  take  their  guns 
with  them,  he  said,  and  after  they  had  paid  David 
his  money,  they  would  row  a  short  distance  up  the 
bayou,  and  perhaps  they  might  be  fortunate  enough 
to  knock  over  a  duck  or  two  for  the  next  day's 
dinner. 

Bert,  of  course,  agreed  to  the  proposition,  and 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  69 

went  into  the  shop  after  the  oars  belonging  to  the 
canoe,  while  Don  went  into  the  house  again  after 
the  guns.  When  he  came  out  again  he  had  a 
breech-loader  on  each  shoulder  and  David's  ten 
dollars  in  his  pocket.  Paying  that  bill  twice  did 
make  a  big  hole  in  his  Christmas  money,  for  it  took 
just  half  of  it. 

The  brothers  walked  along  the  garden  path  that 
ran  toward  the  lake,  and  when  Don,  who  was  lead- 
ing the  way,  stepped  upon  the  jetty  he  missed 
something'  at  once.  The  canoe  was  gone.  They 
had  not  been  near  the  jetty  for  a  week,  and  the  last 
time  they  were  there  the  boat  was  all  right.  It 
could  not  have  got  away  without  help,  for  it  was 
firmly  tied  to  a  ring  in  the  jetty  by  the  chain,  which 
served  as  a  painter,  and  evea  if  that  had  become 
loosened  the  canoe  would  have  remained  near  its 
moorings,  for  there  was  no  current  in  the  lake  to 
carry  it  from  the  shore.  Beyond  a  doubt,  it  had 
been  stolen.  Don  would  not  have  felt  the  loss  more 
keenly  if  the  thief  had  taken  his  fine  sail-boat.  The 
canoe  was  almost  as  old  as  he  was,  and  in  it  he  and 
Bert  had  taken  their  first  ride  on  the  lake  and  cap- 
tured their  first  wounded  duck. 

"It's  gone,"  said   Don,  after  he  and  Bert  had 


70  THE   BOY   TRAPPEK. 

looked  all  around  the  lake  as  far  as  their  eyes  could 
reach,  "  and  that's  all  there  is  of  it.  But  we'll  not 
give  up  our  trip.  We'll  go  in  the  sail-boat." 

The  sail-boat  had  been  dismantled,  and  the  masts, 
sails,  rudder  and  everything  else  belonging  to  her 
had  been  stored  in  the  shop  under  cover.  While 
Bert  was  gone  after  the  oars,  Don  drew  the  boat  up 
to  the  jetty,  and  having  stowed  the  guns  away  in 
the  stow-sheets,  he  got  in  himself  and  took  another 
survey  of  the  lake  to  make  sure  that  the  canoe  was 
nowhere  in  sight.  It  was  hard  to  give  it  up  as 
lost. 

Bert  came  back  in  a  few  minutes,  and  having 
shipped  the  oars  shoved  off  and  pulled  down  the 
lake.  A  quarter  of  an  hour  afterward  they  landed 
on  the  beach  in  front  of  Godfrey's  cabin.  They 
found  David  wandering  listlessly  about  in  the  back 
yard  with  his  hands  in  his  pockets ;  and  when  he 
came  up  to  the  fence  in  response  to  their  call,  they 
saw  that  he  had  been  crying  again. 

"David,"  exclaimed  Don,  putting  his  hand  into 
his  pocket,  "  we've  got  news  for  you  that  will  make 
you  wear  a  different  looking  face  when  you  hear  it. 
After  you  went  home,  we  rode  down  to  see  father, 
and  he  told  us — Eh !"  cried  Don,  turning  quickly 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  71 

toward  his  brother,  who  just  then  gave  his  arm  a 
sly  pinch. 

"  Let  me  tell  it,"  said  Bert.  "  We'd  like  to  see 
you  at  our  house  this  evening  about  five  o'clock ; 
can  you  come  ?" 

"  I  reckon  I  can,"  answered  David.  "  Was  that 
the  good  news  you  wanted  to  tell  me?" 

"No — I  believe — yes,  it  was,"  said  Don,  who 
received  another  fearful  pinch  on  the  arm  and  saw 
his  brother  looking  at  him  in  a  very  significant  way. 
"  You  come  up,  anyhow." 

"  We've  got  some  work  for  you  to  do  up  there," 
said  Bert.  "  It  will  not  pay  you  much  at  first,  but 
perhaps  you  can  make  something  out  of  it  by-and- 
by.  It  will  keep  you  busy  for  two  or  three  weeks, 
perhaps  longer.  Will  you  come  ?" 

David  replied  that  he  would,  and  turned  away 
with  an  expression  of  surprise  and  disappointment 
on  his  face.  The  eager,  almost  excited  manner  in 
which  Don  greeted  him,  led  him  to  hope  that  he 
had  something  very  pleasant  and  encouraging  to 
tell,  and  somehow  he  couldn't  help  thinking  that  his 
visitors  had  not  said  just  what  they  intended  to  say 
when  they  first  came  up  to  the  fence. 

"  What  in  the  name  of  sense  and  Tom  Walker 


72  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

•was  the  matter  with  you,  Bert  ?"  demanded  Don, 
as  soon  as  the  two  were  out  of  David's  hearing. 
"My  arm  is  all  black  and  blue,  I  know !" 

"  I  didn't  want  you  to  say  too  much,"  was  Bert's 
reply,  "  and  I  didn't  know  any  other  way  to  stop 
jrour  talking.  There  was  a  listener  close  by." 

"A  listener!     Who  was  it?" 

"  David's  brother.  Just  as  you  began  speaking 
I  happened  to  look  toward  the  cabin,  and  saw 
through  the  cracks  between  the  logs  that  the  win- 
dow on  the  other  side  was  open.  Close  to  one  of 
those  cracks,  and  directly  in  line  with  the  window, 
was  a  head.  I  knew  it  was  Dan's  head  *he  mo- 
ment I  saw  it." 

"  Aha  !"  exclaimed  Don.  "  He  had  his  trouble 
for  his  pains  this  time,  hadn't  he  ?  Or,  rather,  he 
had  the  trouble  and  I  had  the  pain,"  he  added,  rub- 
bing his  arm. 

Bert  laughed  and  said  he  thought  that  was  about 
the  way  the  matter  stood. 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  73 


M 


CHAPTER  V. 

DAN   IS   ASTONISHED. 

ANY  times  during  his  life  had  David  had 
good  reason  to  be  discouraged,  but  he  had 
never  been  so  strongly  tempted  to  give  up  trying 
altogether  and  settle  down  into  a  professional  vaga- 
bond, as  he  was  when  he  left  General  Gordon's  barn 
and  turned  his  face  toward  home.  He  had  relied 
upon  Don  to  show  him  a  way  out  of  his  trouble, 
but  his  friend  had  not  helped  him  at  all ;  he  had 
only  made  matters  worse  by  telling  him  more  bad 
news.  Nothing  seemed  to  go  right  with  him. 
There  was  Dan,  who  never  did  anything,  and  yet 
he  was  better  off  in  the  world  and  seemed  to  be 
just  as  happy  as  David,  who  was  always  striving  to 
better  his  condition  and  continually  on  the  lookout 
for  a  chance  to  earn  a  dollar  or  two.  Why  should 
he  not  stop  work  and  let  things  take  their  own 
course,  as  his  brother  did  ?  He  reached  home  while 
he  was  revolving  this  question  in  his  mind,  and  the 


74  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

first  person  he  saw  when  he  climbed  the  fence  and 
walked  toward  the  shingle-pile  to  resume  work  upon 
his  traps,  was  his  brother  Dan. 

"  Whar  you  been  an'  what  you  been  a  doin'  of?" 
demanded  the  latter,  as  if  he  had  a  right  to  know. 

"  I've  been  over  to  Don's  house,"  answered 
David;  "and  while  I  was  there  I  found  out  that 
you  and  father  borrowed  my  ten  dollars." 

"'Tain't  so  nuther,"  cried  Dan,  trying  to  look 
surprised  and  indignant. 

"  I  believe  everything  Don  and  Bert  tell  me. 
They  have  never  lied  to  me  and  you  have." 

"  Whoop  !"  yelled  Dan,  jumping  up  and  knock- 
ing his  heels  together. 

"  I  mean  every  word  of  it,"  said  David,  firmly. 
"  You  have  got  me  into  a  tight  scrape,  but  I'll  work 
out  of  it  somehow.  And  let  me  tell  you  one  thing, 
Dan  ;  you'll  never  have  a  chance  to  steal  any  more 
of  my  money." 

"  Then  why  don't  you  divide  it  like  a  feller  had 
oughter  do?"  asked  Dan,  angrily. 

"Why  don't  you  divide  with  mother  and  me 
when  you  have  some?" 

"  Kase  I  work  hard  for  it  an'  it  b'longs  to  mo; 
that's  why."  And  knowing  by  his  past  experience 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  75 

that  he  could  not  hold  his  own  in  an  argument  with 
his  brother,  Dan  turned  about  and  went  into  the 
house. 

David  worked  faithfully  at  his  traps,  paying  no 
further  heed  to  his  brother's  movements.  He  tried 
to  keep  his  mind  on  what  he  was  doing,  but  now 
and  then  the  recollection  of  the  heavy  loss  he  had 
sustained  would  come  back  to  him  with  overwhelm- 
ing force  and  the  tears  would  start  to  his  eyes  in 
spite  of  all  he  could  do  to  prevent  it.  Then  he 
would  throw  down  his  hammer  and  wander  about 
with  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  wondering  what 
was  the  use  of  trying  to  do  anything  or  be 
anybody  while  things  were  working  so  strongly 
against  him. 

It  was  during  one  of  these  idle  periods  that  Don 
and  Bert  came  up.  David's  hopes  arose  immedi- 
ately when  he  caught  sight  of  Don's  smiling  face, 
for  he  was  sure  that  he  was  about  to  hear  something 
encouraging.  Indeed,  Don's  first  words  confirmed 
this  impression ;  but  it  turned  out  that  they  had 
come  there  simply  to  offer  him  work  that  would 
keep  him  busy  for  two  or  three  weeks.  Of  course 
David  wanted  work,  but  just  then  he  wanted  money 
more.  He  wanted  to  pay  that  grocery  bill,  so  that 


76  THE   BOY  TRAPPER. 

he  could  look  Silas  Jones  in  the  face  the  next  time 
he  met  him. 

When  the  brothers  got  into  their  boat  and  rowed 
away,  David  went  back  to  his  traps,  while  Dan,  who 
had  been  disappointed  in  his  hopes  of  hearing  some 
private  conversation  between  the  visitors  and  his 
brother,  shouldered  his  rifle  and  disappeared  in  the 
woods. 

David  worked  away  industriously  until  the  sun 
told  him  that  it  was  nearly  four  o'clock,  and  then 
he  put  on  his  coat  and  started  off  to  keep  his 
appointment  with  Don  and  Bert.  He  found  them 
waiting  for  him  at  the  General's  barn,  and  he  was 
not  a  little  surprised  when  they  seized  him  by  the 
arms  and  pulled  him  into  the  carpenter-shop,  the 
door  of  which  they  were  careful  to  close  and  lock 
behind  them. 

"Now  I  know  we  can  talk  without  danger  of 
being  overheard,"  exclaimed  Don.  "  We've  got 
lots  to  tell  you;  but  in  the  first  place,"  he  added, 
opening  his  pocket-book,  "there's  your  money." 

The  expression  of  joy  and  surprise  that  came 
upon  David's  face  as  he  hesitatingly,  almost  reluct- 
antly, took  the  crisp,  new  bill  that  was  held  toward 
him,  amply 'repaid  Don  for  the  loss  of  the  pleasure 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  77 

he  had  expected  to  derive  in  spending  the  money 
for  Christmas  presents. 

"  Why,  I  understood  you  to  say  that  father  and 
Dan  had  drawn  this  money,"  said  he,  as  soon  as  he 
could  speak. 

"  So  they  did,  but  my  father  says  the  loss  is  mine 
and  not  yours." 

David  drew  a  long  breath.  He  understood  the 
matter  now.  "  It  isn't  fair  that  you  should  pay  it 
twice,"  said  he. 

"  I  haven't  paid  it  twice ;  that  is,  I  haven't  paid 
you  at  all.  It's  all  right,  David,  you  may  depend 
upon  it.  They'll  never  fool  us  again.  If  I  should 
ever  have  any  more  of  your  money,  nobody  could 
get  it  except  yourself." 

"  Or  mother,"  added  David. 

"  0,  of  course.     I  wouldn't  be  afraid  to  trust  her." 

"  I  was  in  hopes  that  you  would  have  a  good  deal 
of  my  money  in  your  hands  some  day,"  continued 
David.  "  I  was  going  to  ask  you  to  keep  my  hun- 
dred and  fifty  dollars  for  me ;  but  I  don't  know  now 
whether  I  shall  ever  get  it  or  not." 

"  Of  course  you'll  get  it,"  exclaimed  Bert. 
"  You  are  not  going  to  give  up  the  idea  of  trapping 
the  quails,  are  you  ?" 


78  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

"  No,  but  I  don't  know  that  I  shall  make  any- 
thing at  it,  for  Dan  and  Lester  can  break  up  my 
traps  faster  than  I  can  make  them." 

"  Well,  they'll  not  break  up  a  single  one  of  your 
traps,  because " 

Here  Don  began  and  hurriedly  repeated  the  con- 
versation which  he  and  Bert  had  had  with  their 
father  a  few  hours  before.  As  David  listened  the 
look  of  trouble  his  face  had  worn  all  that  day  grad- 
ually faded  away,  and  the  old  happy  smile  took  its 
place.  His  confidence  in  his  friends  had  not  been 
misplaced;  Dan  and  Lester  Brigham  were  to  be 
outwitted  after  all. 

The  traps  and  the  "  figure  fours"  with  which  they 
were  to  be  set,  could  be  built  there  in  the  shop,  Don 
said.  There  were  tools  and  a  bench  and  everything 
else  needful  close  at  hand,  so  that  the  work  could 
be  done  in  half  the  time  that  David  had  expected 
to  devote  to  it.  As  fast  as  the  traps  were  completed 
they  were  to  be  set  in  General  Gordon's  fields. 
They  would  be  safe  there  and  Dan  Evans  or  Lester 
Brigham  or  anybody  else  who  came  near  them, 
would  be  likely  to  get  himself  into  trouble.  The 
negroes  were  always  at  work  in  the  fields  in  the 
daytime,  and  if  they  were  told  to  keep  their  eyes 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  79 

open  and  report  any  outsiders  who  might  be  seen 
prowling  about  the  fences,  they  would  be  sure  to  do 
it.  The  best  course  David  could  pursue  would  be 
to  say  nothing  more  about  trapping  the  quails. 
Let  Dan  believe  that  he  had  become  discouraged 
and  given  up  the  enterprise.  If  he  wanted  to  know 
what  it  was  that  took  his  brother  over  to  General 
Gordon's  house  so  regularly,  David  could  tell  him 
that  he  was  doing  some  work  there,  which  would  be 
the  truth  ;  and  besides  it  would  be  all  Dan  had  any 
right  to  know. 

As  fast  as  the  birds  were  caught,  they  could  be 
locked  up  in  one  of  the  empty  negro  cabins ;  and 
any  one  who  found  out  that  they  were  there  and 
tried  to  steal  them,  would  run  the  risk  of  being 
caught  by  Don's  hounds.  It  was  a  splendid  plan, 
taken  altogether,  and  David's  eyes  fairly  glistened 
while  it  Was  unfolded  to  him.  He  thanked  the 
brothers  over  and  over  again  for  their  kindness  and 
the  interest  they  took  in  his  success,  and  might  have 
kept  on  thanking  them  if  Don  had  not  interrupted 
him  with — 

"  0,  that's  all  understood.  Now,  before  you  begin 
work  on  those  traps  we  want  you  to  help  us  one 
day.  We've  had  a  good  deal  of  excitement  and 


80  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

some  good  luck  since  we  last  saw  you.  We  have 
recovered  my  canoe,  which  somebody  stole  from  me, 
and  we  have  found  out  that  there  is  a  bear  living 
on  Bruin's  Island." 

"  lie  must  be  a  monster,  too,  for  such  growls  I 
never  heard  before,"  said  Bert. 

"  Didn't  you  see  him  ?"  asked  David. 

"No.  We  landed  to  explore  the  island,  and 
while  we  were  going  through  the  cane  he  growled 
at  us,  and  we  took  the  hint  and  left.  We  didn't 
have  a  single  load  of  heavy  shot  with  us.  We're 
going  up  there  to-morrow,  and  we  want  you  to  go 
with  us.  We'll  go  fixed  for  him,  too.  We'll  have 
a  couple  of  good  dogs  with  us ;  I'll  take  my  rifle ; 
Bert  will  take  father's  heavy  gun ;  and  we'd  like 
to  have  you  take  your  single-barrel.  If  he  gets  a 
bullet  and  three  loads  of  buckshot  in  his  head,  he'll 
not  growl  at  us  any  more.  If  we  don't  get  a  chance 
to  shoot  him,  we'll  build  a  trap  and  catch  him 
alive  the  next  time  he  comes  to  the  island.  Will 
you  go?" 

Of  course  David  would  go.  He  would  have  gone 
anywhere  that  Don  told  him  to  go.  He  promised 
to  be  at  the  barn  at  an  early  hour  the  next  morning, 
and  then  showed  a  desire  to  leave  the  shop  ;  so  Don 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  81 

unlocked  the  door,  and  David  hurried  out  and 
turned  his  face  toward  the  landing.  He  had  money 
now,  and  that  grocery  bill  should  not  trouble  him 
any  longer. 

"  If  there  ever  was  a  lucky  boy  in  the  world  I 
am  the  one,"  thought  David,  whose  spirits  were 
elevated  in  the  same  ratio  in  which  they  had  before 
been  depressed.  "  I'll  earn  my  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  now,  and  mother  shall  have  her  nice  things 
in  spite  of  Dan  and  Lester.  It  isn't  every  fellow 
•who  has  such  friends  as  Don  and  Bert  Gordon.  But 
I  shall  have  a  hard  time  of  it,  anyhow.  Dan  will  be 
so  mad  when  he  finds  out  that  he  can't  ruin  me, 
that  he  will  do  something  desperate." 

David,  however,  did  not  waste  much  time  in 
thinking  of  the  troubles  that  might  come  in  the 
future.  He  preferred  to  think  about  pleasanter 
things.  He  was  so  wholly  engrossed  with  his  plans 
that  it  seemed  to  him  that  he  was  not  more  than  five 
minutes  in  reaching  the  landing.  There  was  no  one 
in  the  street,  and  nothing  there  worth  looking  at, 
except  General  Gordon's  white  horse,  which  was 
hitched  to  a  post  in  front  of  Silas  Jones's  store.  As 
David  approached,  the  General  himself  came  out, 
accompanied  by  the  grocer,  who  was  as  polite  arid 
6 


82  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

attentive  to  his  rich  customers  as  he  was  indifferent 
to  the  poor  ones. 

"Ah,  David!"  exclaimed  the  General,  extending 
his  hand ;  "  how  are  times  now  ?  Business  looking 
up  any?" 

"  Y-yes,  sir,"  stammered  the  boy,  who  could 
scarcely  speak  at  all.  He  was  not  abashed  by  the 
rich  man's  presence,  for  he  had  learned  to  expect  a 
friendly  nod  or  a  cordial  grasp  of  the  hand  every 
time  he  met  him  ;  but  he  was  very  much  astonished 
by  the  greeting  which  Silas  Jones  extended  to  him. 
No  sooner  had  the  General  released  David's  hand 
than  it  was  seized  by  the  grocer,  who  appeared  to 
be  as  glad  to  see  him  as  though  he  knew  that  the 
boy  had  come  there  to  buy  a  bill  of  goods  worth 
hundreds  of  dollars. 

"  It  never  does  any  good  to  give  away  to  our 
gloomy  feelings,"  said  the  General.  "There  are 
many  times  when  things  don't  go  just  as  we  would 
like  to  have  them,  but  the  day  always  follows  the 
night,  and  a  little  perseverance  sometimes  works 
wonders." 

David  understood  what  the  General  meant,  but  it 
was  plain  that  the  grocer  did  not,  for  he  looked  both 
Dewildered  and  surprised.  He  bowed  to  his  rich 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  83 

customer,  as  he  rode  off,  and  then,  turning  to  David, 
conducted  him  into  the  store  with  a  great  deal  of 
ceremony. 

"Mr.  Jones,"  said  David,  who  began  to  think 
that  the  grocer  must  have  taken  leave  of  his  senses, 
"I  have  come  here  to  settle  father's  bill." 

"  0,  that's  all  right,"  was  the  smiling  reply.  "  It 
isn't  fair  that  I  should  hold  you  responsible  for  that 
debt,  and  I  have  concluded  that  I  will  not  do  it. 
Your  father  will  pay  me  some  time,  perhaps,  and 
if  he  doesn't,  I'll  let  it  go.  The  loss  of  it  won't 
break  me.  Can  I  do  anything  for  you  this  even- 
ing?" 

David  was  more  astonished  than  ever.  Was  this 
the  man  who  had  spoken  so  harshly  to  him  no  longer 
ago  than  that  very  morning  ?  What  had  happened 
to  work  so  great  a  change  in  him  ?  It  was  the 
General's  visit  that  did  it.  When  Don  and  Bert 
left  their  father,  after  holding  that  short  consulta- 
tion with  him  in  the  field,  the  latter  took  a  few 
minutes  to  think  the  matter  over,  and  when  his 
hands  had  finished  their  work,  he  mounted  his  horse 
and  rode  down  to  the  landing,  to  have  a  talk  with 
Mr.  Jones.  What  passed  between  them  no  one  ever 
knew,  but  it  was  noticed  that  from  that  day  forward, 


84  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

whenever  David  came  into  the  store  to  trade,  he  was 
treated  with  as  much  respect  as  he  would  have  been 
had  he  been  known  to  have  his  pockets  .full  of 
money. 

"Want  anything  in  my  line  this  evening?"  con- 
tinued the  grocer,  rubbing  his  hands ;  "a  hat  or  a 
pair  of  shoes  and  stockings  for  yourself,  a  nice  warm 
dress  for  mother,  or " 

"0,  I  want  a  good  many  things,"  replied  David, 
"  but  I  shall  have  only  two  dollars  left  after  your 
bill  is  paid,  and  that  must  keep  us  in  groceries  for 
at  least  a  month — perhaps  longer." 

To  David's  great  amazement,  the  merchant  re- 
plied :  "  Your  credit  is  good  for  six  months.  As 
for  your  father's  debt,  I  wouldn't  let  you  pay  it  if 
you  were  made  of  money.  Better  take  home  some 
tea,  coffee  and  sugar  with  you,  hadn't  you  ?  It  is 
always  a  good  plan  to  replenish  before  you  get  en- 
tirely out,  you  know." 

"  0,  we  were  out  long  ago,"  said  David,  who  could 
not  help  smiling  -at  the  mistake  Silas  made  in  sup- 
posing that  tea,  coffee  and  sugar  appeared  on  his 
mother's  table  every  day.  "  We  haven't  had  any  in 
our  house  for  almost  a  month." 

"  Is  that  so  ?"  exclaimed  the  grocer.     "  Then  I'll 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  85 

put  up  some  for  you,  and  lend  you  a  basket  to  carry 
it  home  in." 

David  leaned  upon  the  counter  and  began  a  little 
problem  in  mental  arithmetic,  with  the  view  of  ascer- 
taining how  much  of  his  money  it  would  take  to 
keep  his  mother  supplied  with  the  luxuries  the  gro- 
cer had  mentioned  for  one  month,  and  how  much  he 
would  have  left  to  invest  in  clothing  for  her ;  but 
before  the  problem  was  solved  the  grocer  had  placed 
three  neat  packages,  good-sized  ones,  too,  on  the 
counter,  and  was  looking  for  a  basket  to  put 
them  in. 

"Now,  then,"  said  he,  briskly,  "what  next?  A 
dress  for  mother  or  a  pair  of  shoes  for  yourself? 
The  mornings  are  getting  to  be  pretty  cold  now, 
and  you  can't  run  around  barefooted  much  longer. 
Ah,  Dan  !  how  do  you  do  ?" 

David  looked  up  and  was  surprised  to  see  his  bro- 
ther standing  by  his  side.  He  was  surprised,  too, 
to  notice  that  the  grocer  greeted  him  almost  as  cor- 
dially as  he  had  greeted  himself  but  a  few  minutes 
before.  David  was  not  glad  that  he  was  there,  for 
the  expression  on  Dan's  face  told  him  that  he  had 
seen  and  heard  more  than  he  had  any  business  to 
know.  David  made  haste  to  finish  his  trading  after 


86  THE   BOY  TRAPPER. 

that,  and  when  he  had  purchased  a  dress  and  a  pair 
of  shoes  for  his  mother,  and  a  pair  of  shoes  and 
stockings  for  himself,  he  handed  out  his  ten-dollar 
bill  in  payment.  Dan's  eyes  seemed  ready  to  start 
from  their  sockets  at  the  sight  of  it. 

"Never  mind  that,  now,"  said  the  grocer,  push- 
ing it  back.  "  Perhaps  you  will  need  it  some  day 
and  I  can  wait  six  months,  if  you  are  not  ready  to 
settle  up  before." 

Dan's  eyes  opened  still  wider,  and  when  his 
brother,  after  thanking  the  grocer  for  his  kindness 
and  confidence,  gathered  up  his  purchases  and  left 
the  store,  he  followed  slowly  after  him,  so  wholly 
lost  in  wonder  that  he  never  recollected  that  he  had 
six  dollars  in  his  own  pocket,  and  that  he  had  come 
there  to  spend  the  best  part  of  five  of  it.  He 
walked  along  at  a  little  distance  behind  his  brother, 
looking  thoughtfully  at  the  ground  all  the  while,  as 
if  he  were  revolving  some  perplexing  question  in 
his  mind,  and  then  quickened  his  pace  to  overtake 
him. 

"  Le'  me  carry  some  of  them  things,"  said  he,  as 
he  came  up  with  David. 

"No,  I  thank  you,"  replied  the  latter,  who  knew 
that  Dan  never  would  have  offered  to  help  him,  if 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  87 

he  had  not  hoped  to  gain  something  by  it.  "I  can 
get  along  very  well  by  myself.  The  load  is  not  a 
heavy  one." 

"  You're  an  amazin'  lucky  feller,  Davy,"  con- 
tinued Dan.  "  What  you  been  a  doin'  to  Silas,  to 
make  him  speak  so  kind  to  us  poor  folks  ?" 

"  I  haven't  done  anything  to  him.  I  don't  know 
how  to  account  for  it,  any  more  than  you  do." 

"  What's  the  matter,  now  ?  Forgot  something  ?" 
asked  Dan,  as  his  brother  suddenly  stopped  and 
looked  toward  the  landing,  as  if  he  had  half  a  mind 
to  turn  around  and  go  back  there. 

Yes,  David  had  forgotten  something,  and  it  was 
very  important  too,  he  thought.  He  knew  that 
Dan  was  always  on  the  lookout  for  a  chance  to  make 
a  penny  without  work,  and  David  was  afraid  that  he 
might  be  tempted  to  repeat  the  trick  which  he  and 
his  father  had  played  upon  Don  and  Bert  with  so 
much  success. 

It  would  be  a  very  easy  matter  for  Dan  to  make 
up  some  plausible  story  to  tell  the  grocer,  and 
perhaps  on  the  strength  of  his  brother's  almost  un- 
limited credit,  he  might  be  able  to  obtain  a  few  little 
articles  of  which  he  stood  in  need.  David  had  never 
thought  to  put  Silas  on  his  guard. 


88  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

"  I'll  hold  them  things  fur  you,  if  you  want  to  run 
back  thar,"  said  Dan,  reaching  out  his  hand  for  the 
basket. 

"  No,  I'll  let  it  go  until  the  next  time  I  come 
down,"  answered  David.  "  A  day  or  two  will  not 
make  much  difference." 

"  Whar  did  you  get  them  ten  dollars,  any  how  ?" 
asked  Dan,  as  the  two  once  more  turned  their  faces 
homeward. 

"  That's  the  money  you  tried  to  cheat  me  out  of," 
replied  his  brother.  "  Don  says  the  loss  was  his 
and  not  mine." 

"  Did  he  give  you  ten  dollars  more  ?"  exclaimed 
Dan. 

"  Not  ten  dollars  more,  for  this  is  the  first  he  has 
given  me.  You  and  father  got  what  I  ought  to  have 
had." 

"  An'  you  never  spent  none  on  it,  did  you  ?  I 
seen  Silas  shove  it  back  to  you." 

"  Yes,  I've  got  it  safe  in  my  pocket.  I'm  going 
to  keep  it,  too." 

"Wai,  I'll  bet  a  hoss  you  don't,"  was  Dan's 
mental  reflection.  "I'd  oughter  have  some  on  it, 
an'  if  you  don't  give  it  to  me  without  my  axin'  you, 
I'll  have  it  all.  I'm  the  man  of  the  house  now,  an' 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  89 

it's  the  properest  thing  that  I  should  have  the  hand- 
lin'  of  all  the  money  that  comes  in.  ' 

Of  course  Dan  was  much  too  smart  to  say  this 
aloud.  He  knew  that  any  threats  from  him  would 
put  his  brother  on  his  guard,  and  then  he  might 
whistle  for  the  ten  dollars.  He  said  no  more,  and 
the  two  walked  along  in  silence  until  they  came  to 
General  Gordon's  barn.  Just  as  David  was  going 
into  it,  he  met  Lester  Brigham  riding  out  of  it. 
Lester  scowled  down  at  him,  but  David  did  not 
scowl  back.  He  was  quite  willing  to  forget  that 
they  had  ever  had  any  difficulty  and  to  be  friendly 
with  Lester,  if  the  latter  wanted  him  to  be.  It  is 
probable,  however,  that  he  would  have  had  different 
feelings,  if  he  had  known  what  it  was  that  brought 
Lester  over  to  Don's  house.  , 

David,  as  we  have  said,  turned  into  the  barn,  and 
Dan,  who  had  more  than  his  share  of  curiosity, 
would  have  given  almost  anything  he  possessed  to 
know  what  business  he  had  there ;  but  he  could  not 
go  in  to  see,  for  he  dared  not  face  Don  and  Bert 
after  what  he  had  done,  so  he  kept  on  toward  home. 

David  deposited  his  basket  and  bundles  on  the 
steps  that  led  to  the  loft,  and  making  his  way 
around  the  north  wing  of  the  house,  knocked  at 


90  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

the  door,  which  was  presently  opened  by  Bert. 
David  asked  if  Don  was  in,  and  receiving  an  affirm- 
ative reply,  was  ushered  into  the  library,  where  his 
friend,  wearied  with  his  day's  exercise,  was  taking 
his  ease  on  the  sofa,  which  had  been  drawn  up  in 
front  of  a  cheerful  wood  fire.  David  declined  to 
accept  the  chair  which  Bert  placed  for  him,  and 
opened  his  business  at  once. 

"  Don,"  said  he,  "would you  be  willing  to  take  that 
money  you  gave  me  and  keep  it  until  I  call  for  it?" 

"  Of  course  I  would,"  replied  Don,  readily. 
"  You  haven't  paid  that  grocery  bill,  then  ?  Well, 
I  wouldn't  either.  You  are  not  responsible  for  it." 

"  I  offered  to  pay  it,  but  Mr.  Jones  wouldn't 
take  the  money.  He  says  my  credit  is  good  for  six 
months." 

"  Why,  what  has  come  over  him  all  of  a  sudden  ?" 
said  Don,  who  did  not  know  that  his  father  had  had 
an  interview  with  Silas  that  very  day. 

"  I  wish  I  knew.  There's  the  money,  and  you 
won't  let  anybody  have  it,  except  mother  or  me, 
will  you?" 

"  You  may  be  sure  that  I  will  take  good  care  of 
it  this  time.  Don't  forget  that  bear  hunt,  to- 
morrow." 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  91 

"  No.  I'll  be  on  hand  bright  and  early.  Good- 
by." 

David  hurried  out,  and  picking  up  the  basket  and 
bundles  he  had  left  in  the  barn,  started  for  home. 
When  he  got  there,  he  was  surprised  to  see  that  Dan 
was  at  work.  He  had  pulled  off  his  coat,  rolled  up 
his  sleeves  and  with  a  frow  and  mallet  in  his  hands, 
was  busy  splitting  out  shingles.  David  said  nothing 
to  hiu),  but  went  into  the  house  to  put  away  the  tea, 
coffee  and  sugar  and  place  the  articles  he  had 
bought  for  his  mother  in  a  conspicuous  position,  so 
that  she  would  be  sure  to  see  them,  the  moment  she 
entered  the  door.  While  he  was  thus  engaged,  Dan 
came  in  smiling,  and  trying  to  look  good-natured. 
David  was  on  his  guard  at  once. 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  I've  made  up  my  mind  to  do 
by  you,  Davy,"  said  Dan,  "an'  when  you  hear 
what  it  is,  if  you  don't  say  I'm  the  best  brother  you 
ever  had,  I  want  to  know  what's  the  reason  why. 
I  ain't  goin'  agin  you  like  I  told  you  I  was." 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  it,"  said  David. 

"No,  I  ain't.  I'm  goin'  to  be  pardners  with 
you,  an'  I'm  goin'  to  give  you  half  the  money  we 
make  outen  them  quail.  I'll  give  you  half  what 
I've  got  hid  away,  too." 


92  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

"  I  have  no  claim  upon  that,"  replied  David.  "  It 
belongs  to  Don  Gordon,  and  if  you  are  honest  you'll 
give  him  every  cent  of  it." 

"I  can't  do  it,"  said  Dan.  "  Ease  why,  I  give 
pap  three  an'  a  half  of  it,  an'  spent  six  bits 
myself." 

"  Then  give  him  what  you  have,  and  tell  him 
that  you  will  hand  him  the  rest  as  soon  as  you  can 
earn  it." 

"  Not  by  no  means,  I  won't,"  said  Dan,  quickly. 
"  Ten  dollars  ain't  nothing  to  him." 

"  That  makes  no  difference.  It  is  his,  and  he 
ought  to  have  it." 

"  Wai,  I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do :  I'll  pay  him 
outen  them  fifty  dollars  we're  goin'  to  get  fur  them 
quail.  An',  Davy,  if  you'll  give  me  the  money 
you've  got  in  your  pocket,  I'll  hide  it  with  mine 
whar  nobody  can't  find  it,  and  then  it'll  be  safe." 

"It  is  safe  now." 

"  But  if  I  go  halves  with  you,  you  had  oughter 
go  halves  with  me.  Let's  go  out  to  them  traps  agin, 
and  we  kin  talk  it  over  while  we're  workin'." 

"  I  am  not  going  to  do  anything  more  with  those 
traps." 

"  You  hain't  give  it  up,  have  you  ?     You  ain't 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  93 

goin'  to  let  them  fifty  dollars  slip  through  your 
fingers,  be  you  ?" 

"  What  encouragement  have  I  to  do  anything 
after  what  you  said  this  morning  ?  I  have  made 
other  arrangements.  I  am  going  to  work  over  at 
the  General's." 

David  expected  that  his  brother  would  te  very 
angry  when  he  heard  this,  but  if  he  was,  he  did  not 
show  it.  He  looked  steadily  at  David  for  a  moment 
and  then  turned  and  walked  around  the  corner  of 
the  cabin  out  of  sight. 


94  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

BRUIN'S  ISLAND. 

nnilAT'S  a  purty  way  he's  got  of  doin'  business, 
I  do  think.  He's  a  trifle  the  meanest  feller  I 
ever  seed,  Dave  is,  an'  if  I  don't  pay  him  fur  it  afore 
he's  a  great  many  weeks  older,  I'll  just  play  myself 
out  a  tryin'.  If  me  an'  him  works  together  we  kin 
get  them  fifty  dollars  as  easy  as  fallin'  off  a  log  ;  but 
he  can't  arn  'em  by  hisself,  an'  he  shan't,  nuther." 

This  was  the  way  Dan  Evans  talked  to  himself,  as 
he  trudged  through  the  woods  with  his  rifle  on  his 
shoulder,  after  his  unsuccessful  attempt  to  overhear 
what  passed  between  his  brother  and  Don  and  Bert 
Gordon  ;  or,  rather,  after  his  failure  to  find  out  what 
it  was  that  brought  Don  and  Bert  to  the  cabin.  He 
did  overhear  what  passed  between  them,  but  he  did 
not  learn  anything  by  it.  Of  course  that  made  him 
angrj'  A  good  many  things  had  happened  that 
day  to  make  him  angry,  and  he  had  gone  off  in  the 
woods  by  himself  to  think  and  plan  vengeance. 


TUB   BOY   TRAPPER.  95 

"  Bein'  the  man  of  the  house  I've  got  more  right 
to  them  fifty  dollars  nor  Dave  has,"  thought  Dan, 
"  an'  if  he  don't  give  me  half  of  'em,  he  shan't  see  a 
cent  of  'em  hisself.  Wouldn't  I  look  nice  loafin' 
around  in  these  yere  clothes  while  Dave  was  dressed 
up  like  a  gentleman  an'  takin'  his  ease  ?  I'll  bust 
up  them  traps  of  his'n  faster'n  he  kin  make  'em. 
I'll  show  him  that  I'm  the  boss  of  this  house  now 
that  pap's  away,  no  matter  if  them  Gordon  fellers 
is  a  backin'  on  him  up.  I've  larned  a  heap  by 
listenin'.  I  heard  Dave  tell  the  ole  woman  that  he's 
goin'  to  make  three  dollars  a  dozen  outen  them  quail. 
I  didn't  larn  nothing  this  arternoon,  howsomever. 
Them  fellers  must  a  seed  me  lookin'  through  the 
cracks,  kase  they  didn't  tell  him  what  they  was 
agoin'  to  tell  him  when  they  fust  come  up  to  the 
fence." 

Dan  walked  about  for  an  hour  or  more,  talking  in 
this  way  to  himself.  The  squirrels  frisked  and  barked 
all  around  him,  but  he  did  not  seem  to  hear  them. 
He  was  so  busy  thinking  over  his.  troubles  that  he 
scarcely  knew  where  he  was  going,  until  at  last  he 
found  himself  standing  on  the  banks  of  a  sluggish 
bayou  that  ran  through  the  swamp.  The  stream  was 
wide  and  deep,  and  near  the  middle  of  it  and  opposite 


96  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

the  spot  where  Dan  stood,  was  a  little  island  thickly 
covered  with  briers  and  cane.  It  was  known  among 
the  settlers  as  Bruin's  Island.  Dan  knew  the  place 
well.  Many  a  fine  string  of  goggle-eyes  had  he 
caught  at  the  foot  of  the  huge  sycamore  which  grew 
at  the  lower  end  of  the  island,  and  leaned  over  the 
water  until  its  long  branches  almost  touched  the  trees 
on  the  main  shore,  and  it  was  here  that  he  had 
trapped  his  first  beaver.  More  than  that,  the  island 
had  been  a  place  of  refuge  for  his  father  during  the 
war.  He  retreated  to  it  on  the  night  the  levee  was 
blown  up  by  the  Union  soldiers,  and  spent  the 
most  of  his  time  there  until  all  danger  of  capture 
was  past. 

When  Dan  appeared  upon  the  bank  of  the  bayou 
a  dark  object,  which  was  crouching  at.  the-  water's 
edge  near  the  foot  of  the  sycamore,  suddenly  sprang 
up  and  glided  into  the  bushes  out  of  sight.  Its 
movements  were  quick  and  noiseless,  but  still  they 
did  not  escape  the  notice  of  Dan,  who  dropped  on 
the  instant  and  hid  behind  a  fallen  log  that  happened 
to  be  close  at  hand.  He  did  not  have  time  to  take 
a  good  look  at  the  object,  but  he  saw  enough  of  it  to 
frighten  him  thoroughly.  He  thrust  his  cocked  ritie 
cautiously  over  the  log,  directing  the  muzzle  toward 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  97 

the  sycamore,  but  his  hand  was  unsteady  and  his  face 
was  as  white  as  a  sheet. 

"  Looked  to  me  like  a  man,"  thought  Dan,  trem- 
bling in  every  limb,  "  but  in  course  it  couldn't  be ; 
so  it's  one  of  them  haunts  what  lives  in  the  General's 
lane." 

Dan  kept  his  gaze  directed  across  the  bayou,  and 
could  scarcely  restrain  himself  from  jumping  up  and 
taking  to  his  heels  when  he  saw  a  head,  covered  with 
a  torn  and  faded  hat,  raised  slowly  and  cautiously 
above  the  leaning  trunk  of  the  sycamore.  It  re- 
mained motionless  for  a  moment  and  Dan's  eyes 
were  sharp  enough  to  see  that  there  was  a  face  below 
the  hat — a  tanned  and  weather-beaten  face,  the  lower 
portion  of  which  was  concealed  by  thick,  bushy 
whiskers.  As  Dan  looked  his  eyes  began  to  dilate, 
his  mouth  came  open,  and  the  butt  of  his  rifle  was 
gradually  lowered  until  the  muzzle  pointed  toward 
the  clouds.  He  was  sure  he  saw  something  familiar 
about  the  face,  but  the  sight  of  it  was  most  unex- 
pected, and  so  was  the  sound  of  the  voice  which 
reached  his  ears  a  moment  later. 

"Dannie!"  came  the  hail,  in  subdued  tones,  as 
if  the  speaker  were  afraid  of  being  overheard  by  some 
one  besides  the  boy  whom  he  was  addressing. 
7 


98  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

"  Pap  !"  cried  Dan. 

As  he  spoke  he  arose  from  his  concealment,  and 
the  man  on  the  other  side  of  the  bayou — Dan  was 
pretty  certain  now  that  it  was  a  man — stepped  out 
into  view,  disclosing  the  well-known  form  and  fea- 
tures of  Godfrey  Evans.  Dan  could  hardly  believe 
his  eyes,  and  even  Godfrey  seemed  a  little  doubtful. 

"Is  that  you,  Dannie?"  asked  the  latter. 

"  You're  just  a  shoutin',' '  was  the  reply. 

"Nobody  ain't  thar  with  you,  I  reckon,"  said 
Godfrey. 

"  No,  I'm  all  by  myself.  But  be  you  sartin  that's 
you,  pap  ?" 

"  In  course  I  am,  an'  I've  been  a  waitin'  an'  a 
watchin'  fur  yer.  I'll  bring  you  over.  You're  an 
ongrateful  an'  ondutiful  boy  to  leave  your  poor  ole 
pap,  what's  fit  the  Yankees  an'  worked  so  hard  to 
bring  you  up  like  a  gentleman's  son  had  oughter  be 
brung  up,  out  here  in  the  cane  so  long  all  by  his- 
self." 

"  Why,  pap,  I  didn't  know  you  was  here,"  said 
Dan. 

Godfrey  walked  briskly  along  the  shore  until  he 
reached  a  little  thicket  of  bushes  into  which  he 
plunged  out  of  sight.  He  appeared  again  almost 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  99 

immediately,  dragging  behind  him  a  small  lead- 
colored  canoe  which  Dan  recognized  the  moment  he 
saw  it.  It  was  Don  Gordon's  canoe,  the  one  he 
used  to  pick  up  his  dead  and  wounded  ducks  when 
he  was  shooting  over  his  decoys.  It  was  a  beautiful 
little  craft,  and  Dan  had  often  wished  that  he  could 
call  it  his  own.  It  was  one  thing  that  made  him 
hate  Don  and  Bert  so  cordially,  and  he  had  often 
told  himself  that  when  he  was  ready  to  carry  out 
the  threats  he  had  so  often  made,  that  canoe  should 
be  one  of  the  first  things  to  suffer.  The  brothers 
took  altogether  too  much  pleasure  in  it,  and  he 
wouldn't  have  them  rowing  about  the  lake  enjoying 
themselves  while  he  was  obliged  to  stay  ashore. 
The  sight  of  it  satisfied  him  that  the  man  on  the 
opposite  bank  was  his  father,  and  nobody  else.  If 
he  had  been  a  "  haunt"  he  would  not  have  needed  a 
canoe  to  carry  him  across  the  bayou. 

Having  placed  the  canoe  in  the  water  Godfrey 
went  back  into  the  cane  after  the  oars — the  little 
craft  was  provided  with  rowlocks  and  propelled  by 
oars  instead  of  paddles — and  in  a  few  seconds  more 
he  was  on  Dan's  side  of  the  bayou.  The  moment 
the  canoe  touched  the  bank  he  sprang  out,  and  if 
one  might  judge  by  the  cordial  manner  in  which 


100  THE    BOY    TRAPPER. 

father  and  son  greeted  each  other,  they  were  glad  to 
meet  again. 

"  I  didn't  never  expect  to  feel  your  grip  no  more, 
pap,"  said  Dan,  who  was  the  first  to  speak,  "  an'  I'm 
ridikilis  proud  to  see  you  with  this  yere  dug-out. 
How  came  you  by  it,  and  whar  did  you  git  it  ?" 

"I  jest  took  it  an'  welcome,"  answered  Godfrey. 
"  I  wasn't  goin'  to  swim  over  to  the  island  every 
time  I  wanted  to  go  there,  was  I  ?" 

"  In  course  not.  I'm  scandalous  glad  you  tuk 
it ;  an'  now  I'll  have  a  ride  in  it,  an'  no  thanks  to 
Don  Gordon  nuther.  Been  a  livin'  here  ever  since 
you've  been  gone?"  added  Dan,  as  he  stepped  into 
the  boat  and  picked  up  the  oars. 

"  Yes,  an'  I've  been  a  lookin'  fur  you  every  day. 
Seems  to  me  you  might  a  knowed  where  to  find  me, 
kase  here's  whar  I  hung  out  when  the  Yanks  was 
in  the  country.  Hear  anything  about  me,  in  the 
settlement  ?" 

"  Yes,  lots.  Silas  Jones  has  done  been  to  Dave 
fur  them  eight  dollars  you  owe  him." 

"  Much  good  may  they  do  him,  when  he  gets 
'em,"  said  Godfrey,  snapping  his  fingers  in  the  air. 

"Dave's  goin'  to  pay  the  bill,"  added  Dan.  "I 
done  heard  him  say  so." 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  101 

"  The  ongrateful  an'  ondutiful  scamp  !"  exclaimed 
Godfrey.  "  If  he's  got  that  much  money,  why 
don't  he  give  it  to  me,  like  he  had  oughter  do  ?  I 
need  it  more'n  Silas  does.  Hear  anything  else, 
Dannie?" 

"  Yes ;  General  Gordon  says,  why  don't  you  come 
home  an'  go  'have  yourself?  Nobody  wouldn't 
pester  you." 

"Does  you  see  anything  green  in  these  yere 
eyes  ?"  asked  Godfrey,  looking  steadily  at  Dan. 
"  That  would  do  to  tell  some  folks,  but  a  man  what's 
fit  the  Yanks  ain't  so  easy  fooled.  I'm  safe  here, 

an'  here  I'll  stay,  till Hear  anything  else, 

Dannie — anything  'bout  them  two  city  chaps,  Clar- 
ence an'  Marsh  Gordon  ?" 

"  0,  they've  gone  home  long  ago." 

"  You  didn't  hear  nothing  about  them  gettin'  into 
a  furse  afore  they  went,  did  you?" 

"  Course  I  have.  Everybody  knows  that  you  an' 
Clarence  thought  Don  was  ole  Jordan  an'  shet  him 
up  in  the  tater-hole." 

"An'  sarved  him  right,  too,"  exclaimed  Godfrey. 
"  I  reckon  he's  well  paid  fur  cheatin'  me  outen  that 
chance  of  making  eighty  thousand  dollars.  I  heard 
Clarence  was  robbed  afore  he  went  away,"  added 


102  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

Godfrey,  at  the  same  time  turning  away  his  head 
and  looking  at  Dan  out  of  the  corner  of  his-  eyes. 

"  I  didn't  hear  nothing  about  that,"  said  Dan. 

Godfrey  drew  a  long  breath  of  relief.  Ever  since 
he  took  up  his  abode  on  the  island  he  had  been  tor- 
turing himself  with  the  belief  that  the  robbery  of 
which  he  was  guilty  was  the  talk  of  the  settlement, 
and  that  he  would  be  arrested  for  it  if  he  should  ever 
show  himself  at  the  landing  again.  lie  breathed 
much  easier  to  know  that  his  fears  on  this  score  were 
groundless. 

"  Hear  anything  else,  Dannie  ?"  asked  Godfrey, 
and  his  voice  was  so  cheerful  and  animated  that  the 
boy  looked  at  him  in  amazement.  "  What's  Dave 
an'  the  ole  woman  doin'  ?" 

"  That  thar  Dave  is  goin'  to  git  rich,  dog-gone 
it,"  replied  Dan,  in  great  disgust.  "  He  got  a  letter 
from  some  feller  up  North  this  mornin'  tellin'  him 
if  he  would  trap  fifty  dozen  live  quail  fur  him,  he'd 
pay  him  so't  he  could  make  three  dollars  a  dozen  on 
'em.  I  seed  Don  give  him  the  letter,  an'  I  heard 
'em  a  talkin'  and  a  laughin'  about  it." 

"  That's  what  makes  me  'spise  them  Gordons  so," 
said  Godfrey,  slapping  the  side  of  the  canoe  with  his 
open  hand.  "  They're  all  the  time  a  boostin'  Dave, 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  103 

an'  me  and  you  could  starve  fur  all  they  keer.  Now 
jump  out,  an'  we'll  go  up  to  my  house  an'  talk  about 
it.  We'll  leave  the  boat  here,  so't  it  will  be  handy 
when  you  want  to  go  back." 

As  Godfrey  spoke  the  bow  of  the  canoe  ran  deep 
into  the  soft  mud  which  formed  the  beach  on  that 
side  of  the  island,  and  the  father  and  son  sprang 
out.  Godfrey  led  the  way  along  a  narrow,  winding 
path  which  ran  through  the  cane,  and  after  a  few 
minutes  walking  ushered  Dan  into  an  open  space  in 
the  centre  of  the  island.  Here  stood  the  little  bark 
lean-to  that  he  called  his  house.  The  cane  had  been 
cleared  away  from  a  spot  about  fifteen  feet  square, 
and  piled  up  around  the  outside,  so  that  it  looked 
like  a  little  breastwork. 

The  lean-to  was  not  a  very  imposing  structure — 
Godfrey  would  much  rather  sit  in  the  sun  and  smoke 
his  pipe  then  expend  any  of  his  strength  in  providing 
for  his  comfort — but  it  was  large  enough  to  shelter 
one  man,  and  with  a  few  more  pieces  of  bark  on  the 
roof  and  a  roaring  fire  in  front,  it  might  have  been 
made  a  very  pleasant  and  inviting  camp.  Just  now, 
however,  it  looked  cheerless  enough.  There  was  a 
little  armful  of  leaves  under  the  roof  of  the  lean-to 
and  there  was  a  block  of  wood  beside  the  fire-place, 


104  THE    BOY    TKAPPER. 

the  position  of  which  was  pointed  out  by  a  bed  of 
ashes  and  cinders.  The  leaves  served  for  a  bed  and 
the  block  of  wood  for  a  chair ;  and  they  were  all  the 
"furniture"  that  was  to  be  seen  about  the  camp. 
But  Godfrey  was  very  well  satisfied  with  his  sur- 
roundings and  Dan  was  delighted  with  them.  It 
must  be  splendid,  he  thought,  to  live  there  all  by 
one's  self  with  nothing  to  worry  over  and  no  work 
to  do.  It  was  not  even  necessary  that  Godfrey 
should  chop  wood  for  the  fire,  for  the  upper  end  of 
the  island  was  covered  with  broken  logs  and  branches, 
and  five  minutes'  work  every  morning  would  suffice 
to  provide  him  with  all  the  fuel  he  would  be  likely 
to  burn  during  the  day. 

"  What  a  nice  place  you've  got  here,  pap !"  said 
Dan,  when  he  had  taken  a  hurried  survey  of  the 
camp. 

"  I  reckon  it's  about  right,"  replied  Godfrey.  "  I 
had  this  fur  a  hidin'  place  while  the  Yanks  was  a 
scoutin'  about  through  the  country,  an'  I  come  here 
now  kase  nobody  won't  think  of  lookin'  fur  me  so 
nigh  the  settlement.  An'  they  won't  stumble  onto 
me  afore  I  know  it,  nuther.  They  can't  git  to  me 
if  they  come  afoot  kase  the  bayou'll  stop  'em  ;  an' 
I  never  heard  of  nobody  coming  up  here  in  a  boat. 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  105 

Nothing  bothers  me  'ceptin'  a  bar.  He  comes  over 
every  night  to  feed  on  the  beech-nuts  an'  acorns,  an' 
some  night  he'll  come  fur  the  last  time.  I'll  jest 
knock  him  over,  and  then  I'll  have  meat  enough  to 
last  me  a  month.  I  build  my  fire  and  do  my  cookin' 
at  night,  so't  nobody  can't  see  the  smoke,  an'  that's 
what  frightened  the  bar  away  afore  I  could  shoot 
him." 

"  I've  a  notion  to  come  here  an'  live  with  you, 
pap,"  said  Dan. 

"  'Twon't  be  safe,"  replied  his  father,  quickly. 
"  If  you're  missin'  from  home  folks  might  begin  to 
hunt  fur  us,  an'  that's  somethin'  I  don't  want  'em  to 
do.  'Sides  you  must  stay  in  the  settlement  an'  help 
me.  I  shall  need  things  from  the  store  now  an* 
then,  an'  as  I  can't  go  and  git  'em  myself,  you'll 
have  to  git  'cm  -fur  me.  But  what  was  you  sayin' 
about  Dave  ?"  asked  Godfrey,  throwing  himself  down 
on  one  of  the  piles  of  cane  and  motioning  to  Dan  to 
occupy  the  block  of  wood. 

"  I  was  a  sayin'  that  he's  a  little  the  meanest 
feller  I  ever  seed,"  replied  Dan,  "  an'  don't  you  say 
so  too,  pap  ?  Kase  why,  he's  goin'  to  git  fifty  dollars 
fur  them  quail,  an'  he's  goin'  to  give  the  money  all 
to  the  ole  woman." 


106  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

"  An'  leave  me  to  freeze  an'  starve  out  here  in  the 
cane?"  exclaimed  Godfrey,  with  a  great  show  of 
indignation.  "  Not  by  no  means  he  won't.  If  he 
don't  mind  what  he's  about  we'll  take  the  hul  on  it, 
Dan,  me  an'  you  will." 

"  He  won't  get  none  on  it,  you  kin  bet  high  on 
that,"  said  Dan.  "  I  told  him  I  was  goin'  agin  him, 
an'  so  I  am.  I'll  bust  his  traps  as  fast  as  I  kin  find 
'em,  an'  I  won't  do  nothin'  but  hunt  fur  'em,  day 
an'  night." 

"Now,  haint  you  got  no  sense  at  all?"  cried  his 
father,  so  fiercely  that  Dan  jumped  up  and  turned 
his  face  toward  the  path,  as  if  he  were  on  the  point 
of  taking  to  his  heels. 

"  Wai,  I  wanted  to  go  pardners  with  him  an'  he 
wouldn't  le'  me,"  protested  Dan. 

"  What's  the  odds  ?  Set  down  thar  an'  listen 
while  somebody  what  knows  somethin'  talks  to  you. 
What  odds  does  it  make  to  you  if  he  won't  go  pard- 
ners with  you?" 

"  Kase  I  want  some  of  the  money ;  that's  the 
odds  it  makes  to  me." 

"Wai,  you  kin  have  it,  an'  you  needn't  do  no 
work,  nuther.  I'm  Dave's  pap  an'  your'n  too,  an' 
knows  what's  best  fur  all  of  us.  You  jest  keep  still 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  107 

an'  let  Dave  go  on  an'  ketch  the  birds ;  an'  when 
he's  ketched  'em  an'  got  the  money  in  his  pocket, 
then  I'll  tell  you  what  else  to  do.  Le'  me  see :  fifty 
dozen  birds  at  three  dollars  a  dozen  !  That's — that's 
jest " 

Godfrey  straightened  up,  locked  his  fingers  to- 
gether, rested  his  elbows  on  his  knees  and  looked 
down  at  the  pile  of  ashes  in  the  fire-place. 

"  It's  a  heap  of  money,  the  fust  thing  you  know," 
said  Dan.  "  It's  fifty  dollars.  Dave  told  me  so." 

"Fifty  gran'mothers !"  exclaimed  Godfrey. 
"  Dave  done  said  that  jest  to  make  a  fule  of  you. 
It  would  be  fifty  dollars  if  he  got  only  a  dollar  a 
dozen.  If  he  got  two  it  would  be  a  hundred  dollars, 
an'  if  he  got  three,  it  would  be " 

Godfrey  stopped,  believing  that  he  must  have  made 
a  mistake  somewhere,  and  stared  at  Dan  as  if  he  were 
utterly  bewildered.  Dan  returned  the  stare  with 
interest.  "  A  hundred  dollars  !"  he  repeated,  slowly. 
"  That  thar  Dave  of  our'n  goin'  to  make  a  hundred 
dollars  all  by  hisself !  Some  on  it's  mine." 

**  It's  more'n  that,  Dannie,"  said  Godfrey,  who, 
as  soon  as  he  could  settle  his  mind  to  the  task,  went 
over  his  calculations  again,  adding  the  astounding 
statement — 


108  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

"  An'  if  he  gets  three  dollars  a  dozen,  he'll  get  a 
hundred  an'  fifty  dollars  for  the  lot." 

Dan's  astonishment  was  so  great  that  for  a  few 
seconds  he  could  not  speak,  and  even  his  father  looked 
puzzled  and  amazed.  He  was  certain  that  he  had 
made  no  mistake  in  his  mental  arithmetic  this  time, 
and  the  magnitude  of  David's  prospective  earnings 
fairly  staggered  him.  It  made  him  angry  to  think 
of  it. 

"  The  idee  of  that  triflin'  leetle  Dave's  makin'  so 
much  money,"  he  exclaimed,  in  great  disgust ;  "an' 
here's  me,  who  has  worked  an'  slaved  fur  a  hul  life- 
time, an'  I've  got  jest  twenty  dollars." 

"Eh?"  cried  Dan. 

Godfrey  was  frightened  at  what  he  had  said,  but 
he  could  not  recall  it  without  exciting  Dan's  suspi- 
cions ;  so  he  put  on  a  bold  face  and  continued : — 

"  Yes,  I've  got  that  much,  an'  I  worked  hard  fur 
it,  too.  But  a  hundred  an'  fifty  dollars  !  We  must 
have  that  when  it's  'arned,  Dannie." 

"  The  hul  on  it  ?" 

"  Every  cent.  I'm  Dave's  pap,  an'  the  law  gives 
me  the  right  to  his  'arnin's,  an'  yours,  too,  until 
you's  both  twenty-one  years  ole.  Now,  Dannie, 
I've  done  a  power  of  hard  thinkin'  since  I've  been 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  109 

here  on  this  island,  an'  I've  got  some  idees  in  my 
head  that  will  make  you  look  wild  when  you  hear 
'em.  I  didn't  know  jest  how  to  carry  'em  out  afore, 
but  I  do  now.  These  yere  hundred  an'  fifty  dollars 
will  keep  us  movin'  till  we  kin  find  them  eighty 
thousand." 

"  Be  you  goin'  to  look  fur  them  agin,  pap  ?" 

"No,  I  hain't,  but  you  be." 

"Not  much,  I  ain't,"  replied  Dan,  emphatically. 

"Who's  to  do  it,  then?"  demanded  his  father. 
"  I  can't,  kase  I'm  afeared  to  go  into  the  settlement 
even  at  night.  You  hain't  goin'  to  give  up  the 
money,  be  you?  Then  what'll  become  of  your 
circus-hoss,  an'  your  painted  boats,  an'  your  fine 
guns  what  break  in  two  in  the  middle  ?" 

"I  don't  keer,"  answered  Dan,  doggedly.  "I 
wouldn't  go  into  that  tater-patch  alone,  arter  dark, 
if  I  knowed  it  was  chuck  full  of  yaller  gold  an'  silver 
pieces." 

The  savage  scowl  that  settled  on  Godfrey's  face, 
as  he  listened  to  these  words,  brought  Dan  to  his 
feet  again  in  great  haste.  The  man  was  fully  as 
angry  as  he  looked,  and  it  is  possible  he  might  have 
said  or  done  something  not  altogether  to  Dan's 
liking,  had  it  not  been  for  an  unlooked-for  interrup- 


110  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

tion  that  occurred  just  then.  Godfrey  had  raised 
his  hand  in  the  air  to  give  emphasis  to  some  remark 
he  was  about  to  make,  when  he  was  checked  by  a 
slight  splashing  in  the  water,  accompanied  by  the 
measured  clatter  of  oars,  as  they  were  moved  back 
and  forth  in  the  row-locks.  This  was  followed  by  a 
clear,  ringing  laugh,  which  Godfrey  and  his  son 
could  have  recognized  anywhere,  and  a  cheery 'voice 
said : — 

"  I'm  getting  tired.  It  is  time  for  me  to  stop  and 
rest  when  I  begin  to  catch  crabs." 

There  was  a  boat  in  the  bayou,  and  Don  and  Bert 
Gordon  were  in  it.  They  were  so  close  at  hand,  too, 
that  flight  was  impossible. 

"  I  don't  think  there's  much  difference  between 
riding  on  horseback  and  rowing  in  a  boat,  as  far  as 
the  work  is  concerned,"  said  the  same  voice.  "  I've 
done  about  all  I  can  do  to-day.  There  don't  seem 
to  be  any  ducks  in  the  bayou ;  so  we'll  stop  here 
and  take  a  breathing  spell  before  we  go  back." 

"  Is  thar  any  place  in  the  wide  world  a  feller 
could  crawl  into  Avithout  bein'  pestered  by  them  two 
oneasy  chaps  ?"  whispered  Dan,  jumping  up  from 
his  block  of  wood  and  looking  all  around,  as  if  he 
were  seeking  a  way  of  escape. 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  Ill 

"Not  a  word  out  of  you,"  replied  Godfrey,  shak- 
ing his  fist  at  his  son. 

Following  Godfrey's  example,  Dan  threw  himself 
behind  one  of  the  piles  of  cane,  and  the  two  held 
their  breath  and  listened. 


112  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

WHAT   HAPPENED   THERE. 

"VTOU'RE  not  going  to  get  out,  are  you,  Don?" 
asked  Bert,  and  as  he  was  not  more  than  four 
or  five  rods  away,  every  word  he  uttered  was  dis- 
tinctly heard  by  the  two  listeners  in  the  cane. 

"I  want  to  stretch  my  legs  a  little,"  was  Don's 
reply.  "  Come  on,  and  let's  explore  the  island. 
You  know  it  used  to  be  a  famous  bear's  den,  don't 
you?" 

"  I  should  think  I  ought  to  know  it,  having  heard 
father  tell  the  story  of  the  animal's  capture  a  dozen 
times  or  more.  He  must  have  been  a  monster :  he 
was  so  large  and  heavy  that  it  was  all  a  span  of 
mules  could  do  to  drag  him  from  the  shore  of  the 
lake,  where  he  wyas  taken  out  of  the  boat,  up  to  the 
house." 

"  And  didn't  he  make  things  lively  before  he  was 
killed,  though?"  said  Don.  "He  destroyed  nine 
dogs  arid  wounded  two  men.  I'd  like  to  take  part 
in  a  hunt  like  that." 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  113 

"  Well,  I  wouldn't.  It  looks  gloomy  in  the  cane, 
doesn't  it  ?  What  would  we  do  if  we  should  find  a 
bear  in  there?" 

"I  don't  know,"  answered  Don,  with  a  laugh. 
"Our  guns  are  loaded  with  small  shot,  and  they 
would  hardly  penetrate  a  bear's  thick  skin.  If  he 
should  come  at  us,  I'd  be  a  goner,  sure,  for  I  am  so 
stiff  I  couldn't  run  to  save  my  life.  But  I  don't 

think   we'll   find Halloo !    Bert,    just   look 

here!" 

A  chorus  of  exclamations  followed,  and  Godfrey 
and  Dan  looked  at  each  other  and  scowled  fiercely. 

"  That's  my  canoe,"  said  Don,  and  they  heard  the 
oars  rattle  as  he  stepped  into  it. 

"  There's  no  doubt  about  that,"  said  Bert,  in  sur- 
prised and  delighted  tones  ;  "  but  how  came  it  here  ?" 

"  That's  the  question.  The  fellow  who  stole  it 
took  it  up  the  bayou  and  then  turned  it  loose,  having 
no  further  use  for  it,  or  else  it  got  away  from  him 
and  drifted  down  here." 

"  Who  knows  but  the  thief  brought  it  here  him- 
self, and  that  he  is  on  the  island  now,  hidden  in  the 
cane  ?"  said  Bert,  lowering  his  voice,  but  still  speak- 
ing quite  loud  enough  to  make  himself  heard*by 
Godfrey  and  Dan. 
8 


114  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

"I  hardly  think  that  can  be  possible,"  replied 
Don.  "  You  see  the  bow  of  the  canoe  was  caught 
on  this  root ;  and  that  makes  me  think  it  was  brought 
down  by  the  current  and  lodged  here." 

Godfrey  and  Dan  looked  at  each  other  again. 
They  had  taken  no  pains  to  secure  the  boat  when 
they  left  it,  and  the  current  had  moved  it  from  its 
place  on  the  bank  and  was  carrying  it  toward  the 
lake,  when  it  caught  on  the  root  where  it  was  dis- 
covered by  its  lawful  owner. 

"I  am  glad  to  get  it  again,"  said  Don,  "for  I 
don't  know  what  we  should  have  done  without  it. 
It  is  just  the  thing  to  chase  crippled  ducks  with.  If 
I  could  see  the  man  who  stole  it,  I'd  give  him  a 
piece  of  my  mind,  I  tell  you." 

After  that  there  was  a  pause  in  the  conversation 
and  the  rattling  of  a  chain  told  Godfrey  and  Dan 
that  the  canoe  was  being  fastened  to  the  stern  of  the 
boat  in  which  the  brothers  had  come  up  the  bayou. 
Then  there  was  more  conversation  in  a  subdued  tone 
of  voice,  and  presently  a  commotion  in  the  cane  in- 
dicated that  Don  and  Bert  were  working  their  way 
slowly  toward  the  camp.  Dan  began  to  tremble  and 
turn  white,  and  his  father  looked  as  though  he  would 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  115 

have  been  glad  to  run  if  he  had  only  known  where 
to  go. 

"Halloo!"  exclaimed  Bert,  suddenly,  "here  we 
are.  Come  this  way,  Don.  I've  found  a  path." 

"  A  path  !"  repeated  his  brother.  "  What  should 
make  a  path  through  this  cane?" 

"  I  don't  know,  I  am  sure.  What's  this  ?  Can 
you  tell  a  bear  track  when  you  see  it?" 

"  Of  course  I  can,"  answered  Don,  and  the  listen- 
ers heard  him  pushing  his  way  through  the  cane 
toward  the  path  in  which  his  brother  stood.  "  But 
I  don't  call  this  a  bear  track,"  he  added,  after  a 
moment's  pause,  during  which  he  was  closely  examin- 
ing the  footprint  his  brother  pointed  out  to  him. 
"  A  barefooted  man  or  boy  has  been  along  here,  and 
that  track  was  made  not  more  than  ten  minutes  ago. 
And,  Bert,"  he  continued,  in  a  lower  tone,  "  you 
were  right  about  that  boat  after  all.  Come  on,  now, 
and  if  the  thief  is  here  well  have  a  look  at  him." 

"  Pap,"  whispered  Dan,  hurriedly,  "  they're 
comin'  sure's  you're  livin'.  Le's  slip  around  to 
the  other  side  of  the  island,  easy  like,  and  steal  their 
boats  afore  they  know  what  is  goin'  on." 

"We  couldn't  do  it,"  replied  his  father,  in  the 
same  cautious  whisper.  "  They'd  be  sure  to  see  us. 


116  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

I'll  fix  'em  when  they  corne  nigh  enough.  I'd  like 
to  shoot  'em  both,  to  pay  'em  for  findin'  my  hidin' 
place." 

"Don't  do  that,  pap,"  said  Dan,  in  great  alarm. 

"  Here  they  come,  an' Laws  a  massy  ?    What's 

that?" 

As  Dan  uttered  these  words,  a  deep,  hoarse, 
growl,  so  suddenly  and  fiercely  uttered,  that  it  al- 
most made  his  hair  stand  on  end,  sounded  close  at 
his  side.  Don  and  Bert  heard  it,  and  they  were  as 
badly  frightened  as  Dan  was. 

"What  was  that,  Don?"  asked  Bert,  in  an  ex- 
cited whisper.  "  You  heard  it,  didn't  you  ?" 

"I  should  think  so,"  was  Don's  reply,  and  the 
words  were  followed  by  the  clicking  of  the  locks  of 
his  gun. 

After  that  came  a  long  pause.  Don  and  Bert 
waited  for  the  warning  growl  to  be  repeated,  and 
stooping  down,  tried  to  peer  through  the  cane  in 
front  of  them,  in  the  hope  of  obtaining  a  view  of 
the  animal,  which  had  been  disturbed  by  their 
approach,  while  Dan,  crouching  low  in  his  place  of 
concealment,  looked  first  at  his  father  and  then 
glanced  timidly  about,  as  if  in  momentary  expecta- 
tion of  seeing  something  frightful.  He  could  hardly 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  117 

bring  himself  to  believe  that  the  noise,  which  so 
greatly  terrified  him,  had  been  made  by  his  father, 
but  such  was  the  fact. 

If  there  was  a  person  in  the  world,  Godfrey  did 
not  want  to  meet  face  to  face,  that  person  was  Don 
Gordon ;  and  when  he  first  became  aware  that  the 
boy  was  close  at  hand,  and  that  he  was  about  to 
explore  the  island,  he  was  greatly  alarmed  and 
utterly  at  a  loss  how  to  avoid  him.  If  Don  saw  him 
there,  of  course  he  would  tell  of  it,  and  that  would 
set  the  officers  of  the  law  on  his  track  (no  evidence 
that  could  be  produced  was  strong  enough  to  con- 
vince Godfrey,  that  he  had  nothing  to  fear  from 
the  officers  of  the  law)  and  compel  him  to  look  for 
a  new  hiding-place.  The  conversation  he  overheard 
between  the  brothers,  regarding  the  capture  of  the 
bear,  which  had  so  long  held  possession  of  the 
island,  brought  a  bright  idea  into  his  mind,  and  he 
acted  upon  it  at  the  right  time,  too.  It  was  the 
only  thing  that  saved  him  from  discovery.  Don 
was  not  afraid  of  a  man,  and  if  he  had  known  that 
Godfrey  was  hidden  in  the  cane  a  few  feet  in  ad- 
vance of  him,  he  would  have  walked  straight  up  to 
him,  and  accused  him  of  stealing  his  boat ;  but  he 
had  no  desire  to  face  a  wild  animal  alone  and  un- 


118  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

aided,  and  he  was  in  no  condition  to  do  it,  either. 
We  say  alone  and  unaided,  because  Bert  would  have 
been  of  no  assistance  to  him.  Bert  was  a  famous 
shot  with  his  double-barrel,  and  no  boy  in  the  settle- 
ment could  show  more  game,  after  a  day  spent 
among  the  waterfowl,  than  he  could  ;  but  he  Avas 
too  timid  and  excitable  to  be  of  any  use  to  one 
placed  in  a  situation  of  danger.  Even  the  sight  of 
a  deer  dashing  through  the  woods,  or  the  whirr  of 
a  flock  of  quails  as  they  unexpectedly  arose  from 
the  bushes  at  his  feet,  would  set  him  to  shaking  so 
violently  that  he  could  not  shoot. 

"  What  do  you  suppose  it  was,  Don  ?"  asked  Bert, 
and  Godfrey  did  not  fail  to  notice  that  his  voice 
trembled  when  he  spoke.  "  Was  it  a  wild  cat  or  a 
panther  ?" 

"  0,  no,"  replied  Don.  "One  of  those  animals 
wouldn't  warn  us.  He'd  be  down  on  us  before  we 
knew  he  was  about.  I  wish  I  had  my  rifle  and  the 
free  use  of  my  legs.  I'd  never  leave  the  island  until 
I  had  one  good  pop  at  him." 

A  slight  rustling  in  the  cane  told  the  listeners  that 
Don  was  again  advancing  slowly  along  the  path. 
Dan  was  afraid  that  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  risk 
a  shot  with  his  double-barrel,  and  so  was  Godfrey, 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  119 

who  uttered  another  growl,  louder  and  fiercer  than 
the  first,  and  rattled  the  cane  with  his  hands.  That 
was  too  much  even  for  Don's  courage ;  and  Bert  was 
frightened  almost  out  of  his  senses. 

"Look  out,  Don!  Look  out!"  he  exclaimed. 
"  He  is  coming  !" 

"  Let  him  come,"  replied  Don,  retreating  back- 
ward along  the  path. 

"  Run  !  run  !"  entreated  Bert. 

"  That's  quite  impossible.  I'm  doing  the  best  I 
can  now.  If  he  shows  himself  I'll  fill  his  head  full 
of  number  six  shot." 

Godfrey  continued  to  growl  and  rattle  the  cane  at 
intervals,  but  there  was  no  need  of  jt,  for  Don  was 
quite  as  anxious  to  reach  his  boat  and  leave  the  island 
as  Godfrey  and  Dan  were  to  have  him  do  so.  He 
retreated  along  the  path  with  all  the  speed  he  could 
command,  holding  himself  ready  to  make  as  desper- 
ate a  fight  as  he  could  if  circumstances  should  render 
it  necessary,  and  presently  a  rattling  of  oars  and  a 
splashing  in  the  water  told  the  listeners  that  he  and 
his  brother  were  pushing  off  and  making  their  way 
down  the  bayou.  In  order  to  satisfy  himself  on  this 
point,  Godfrey  crawled  over  the  pile  of  cane,  behind 
which  he  had  been  concealed  and  moved  quickly, 


120  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

but  noiselessly  along  the  path,  closely  followed  by 
Dan.  On  reaching  the  edge  of  the  cane  they  looked 
down  the  stream  and  saw  the  brothers  twenty  rods 
away  in  their  boat,  Bert  tugging  at  the  oars  as  if 
his  life  depended  on  his  exertions.  The  danger  of 
discovery  was  over  for  the  present,  but  how  were 
Dan  and  his  father  to  leave  the  island  now  without 
swimming?  Don  had  taken  his  canoe  away  with 
him. 

"  If  I  could  have  my  way  with  them  two  fellers 
they'd  never  trouble  nobody  else,"  exclaimed  God- 
frey, shaking  his  fist  at  the  departing  boat.  "  Whar 
be  I  goin'  to  hide  now,  I'd  like  to  know  ?" 

"  Stay  here,"  replied  Dan,  "  an'  if  they  come 
back  to  pester  you,  growl  'em  off  'n  the  island  like 
you  done  this  time.'' 

"  An'  git  a  bullet  into  me  fur  my  pains  ?"  returned 
his  father.  "  No,  sar.  Don'll  be  up  here  agin  in 
the  mornin',  sartin,  an'  he'll  have  his  rifle  with  him, 
too;  but  I  won't  be  here  to  stand  afore  it,  kase  I've 
seed  him  shoot  too  often.  He  kin  jest  beat  the  hind 
sights  off'n  you,  any  day  in  the  week." 

"Whoop  !"  cried  Dan,  jumping  up  and  knocking 
his  heels  together. 

"  I  don't  see  what  brung  them  two  oneasy  chaps 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  121 

up  here,  nohow,"  said  Godfrey,  taking  no  notice  of 
the  boy's  threatening  attitude.  "  I  never  knowed 
them  or  anybody  else  to  come  up  the  bayou  in  a 
small  boat  afore,  'ceptin'  when  that  bar  was  killed 
here.  That  was  an  amazin'  smart  trick  of  mine, 
Dannie.  Howsomever,  we  hain't  got  no  more  time 
to  talk.  I'm  goin'  to  give  you  five  dollars,  Dannie, 
an'  I  want  you  to  go  to  the  landin'  an'  spend  it  fur 
me.  Get  me  a  pair  of  shoes — number  'levens,  you 
know — an'  two  pair  stockin's,  an'  spend  the  heft  of 
the  rest  fur  tobacker.  Then  when  it  comes  dark,  I 
want  you  to  get  that  canoe  agin,  an'  bring  it  up  here 
with  the  things  you  buy  at  the  store." 

"  How  am  I  goin'  to  git  the  canoe  ?" 

"  Take  it  an'  welcome,  like  I  did." 

Dan  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  his  father,  be- 
lieving from  the  expression  on  his  face  that  he  was 
about  to  refuse  to  undertake  the  task,  made  haste  to 
add:— 

"  An'  when  you  come,  Dannie,  I'll  tell  you  how 
we're  goin'  to  work  it  to  git  them  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  that  Dave's  goin'  to  'am  by  trappin'  them 
birds  fur  that  feller  up  North.  I  have  a  right  to  it, 
kase  I'm  his  pap  :  an'  when  I  get  it,  I'll  give  you 
half — that  is,  if  you  do  right  by  me  while  I'm  hidin' 


122  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

here.  I'll  give  you  half  that  bar'l,  too,  when  we 
find  it.  Then  you  kin  have  your  circus  hoss  an'  all 
your  other  nice  things,  can't  you?"  added  Godfrey, 
playfully  poking  his  son  in  the  ribs. 

Dan's  face  relaxed  a  little,  but  his  father's  affected 
enthusiasm  was  not  as  contagious  now  as  it  was  when 
the  subject  of  the  buried  treasure  was  first  brought 
up  for  discussion.  Godfrey  had  no  intention  of  re- 
newing his  eiforts  to  find  the  barrel — he  could  not 
have  been  hired  to  go  into  that  potato-patch  after 
what  had  happened  there — but  it  was  well  enough, 
he  thought,  to  hold  it  up  to  Dan  as  an  inducement. 
Besides,  if  he  could  get  the  boy  interested  in  the 
matter  again,  and  induce  him  to  prosecute  the  search, 
and  Dan  should,  by  any  accident,  stumble  upon  the 
barrel,  so  much  the  better  for  himself.  The  great 
desire  of  his  life  would  be  attained.  He  would  be 
rich,  and  that,  too,  without  work. 

"  Why  can't  you  steal  the  canoe  yourself?"  asked 
Dan. 

"  Kase  I've  got  to  pack  up  an'  get  ready  to  leave 
here ;  that's  why.  It'll  take  me  from  now  till  the 
time  you  come  back  to  get  all  my  traps  together." 

Dan  hurriedly  made  a  mental  inventory  of  the 
valuables  his  father  possessed  and  which  he  had  seen 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  123 

in  the  camp,  and  the  result  showed  one  rifle,  one 
powder-horn  and  one  bullet-pouch.  All  Godfrey 
had  besides  he  carried  on  his  back.  It  certainly 
would  not  take  him  three  or  four  hours  to  gather 
these  few  articles  together. 

"  Pap's  mighty  'feared  that  he'll  do  something  he 
can  make  somebody  else  do  fur  him,"  thought  the 
boy.  "  But  he  needn't  think  he's  goin'  to  get  me 
into  a  furse.  I  ain't  agoin'  to  steal  no  canoe  fur 
nobody." 

"  An'  since  it's  you,"  added  Godfrey,  seeing  that 
Da«  did  not  readily  fall  in  with  his  plans,  "  I'll  give 
you  a  dollar  of  my  hard-'arned  money  for  doin'  the 
job." 

"  Wai,  now  that  sounds  like  business,"  exclaimed 
Dan,  brightening  up.  "  Whar's  the  money,  an'  how 
am  I  goin'  to  get  off 'n  the  island  ?" 

"  The  money's  safe,  and  I'll  bring  it  to  you  in  a 
minute,"  replied  Godfrey.  "  You  stay  here  till  I 
come  back.  As  fur  gettin'  acrosst  the  bayou,  that's 
easy  done.  Thar's  plenty  of  drift  wood  at  the  upper 
end  of  the  island,  an'  you  kin  get  on  a  log  an'  pole 
yourself  over.  When  you  get  home,  Dannie,  make 
friends,  with  Dave  the  fust  thing  you  do,  an'  tell 
him  you  was  only  foolin'  when  you  said  you  was 


124  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

goin'  agin  him.  Help  him  every  way  you  kin,  an' 
•when  he  gits  the  money  we'll  show  our  hands." 

So  saying,  Godfrey  walked  down  the  path  out  of 
sight.  After  a  few  minutes'  absence,  he  came  back 

O 

and  handed  Dan  the  money  of  which  he  had  spoken, 
a  five-dollar  bill  to  be  expended  for  himself  at  the 
store,  and  a  one-dollar  bill  to  pay  Dan  for  stealing 
the  canoe.  When  Dan  had  put  them  both  carefully 
away  in  his  pocket,  he  went  back  to  the  camp  after 
his  rifle,  and  then  followed  his  father  through  the 
cane  toward  the  upper  end  of  the  island.  They 
found  an  abundance  of  drift  wood  there,  and  from 
it  selected  two  small  logs  of  nearly  the  same  size 
and  length.  By  fastening  these  together  with  green 
withes,  a  raft  was  made,  which  was  sufficiently 
buoyant  to  carry  Dan  in  safety  to  the  main  land. 
When  it  was  completed,  the  boy  swung  his  rifle  over 
his  shoulder  by  a  piece  of  stout  twine  he  happened 
to  have  in  his  pocket,  and  taking  the  pole  his  father 
handed  him,  pushed  off  into  the  stream. 

Poling  the  raft  was  harder  work  than  rowing  the 
canoe,  and  Dan's  progress  was  necessarily  slow ; 
but  he  accomplished  the  journey  at  last,  and  after 
waving  his  hand  to  his  father,  disappeared  in  the 
bushes.  He  took  a  straight  course  for  the  landing 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  125 

and  after  a  little  more  than  an  hour's  rapid  walking, 
found  himself  in  Silas  Jones's  store.  He  was 
greatly  surprised  at  something  he  saw  when  he  got 
there,  and  so  bewildered  by  it  that  he  forgot  all 
about  the  money  he  had  in  his  pocket,  and  the 
stockings,  shoes  and  tobacco  of  which  his  father 
stood  so  much  in  need.  There  was  David  making 
the  most  extravagant  purchases,  and  there  was  Silas 
bowing  and  smiling  and  acting  as  politely  to  him 
as  he  ever  did  to  his  richest  customers.  If  Dan  was 
astonished  at  this,  he  was  still  more  astonished,  when 
David  threw  down  a  ten-dollar  bill  and  the  grocer 
pushed  it  back  to  him  with  the  remark,  that  his 
credit  was  good  for  six  months.  Dan  could  not 
imagine  how  David  had  managed  to  obtain  posses- 
sion of  so  much  money,  and  when  he  found  out,  as 
he  did  when  he  and  his  brother  were  on  their  way 
home,  he  straightway  went  to  work  to  think  up  some 
plan  by  which  he  might  get  it  into  his  own  hands. 
This  problem  and  a  bright  idea,  which  suddenly 
suggested  itself  to  him,  occupied  his  mind  during 
the  walk  ;  and  shortly  after  parting  from  his  brother 
at  General  Gordon's  barn,  Dan  hit  upon  a  second 
idea,  which  made  his  usually  gloomy  face  brighten, 
wonderfully  while  he  thought  about  it. 


126  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

Dan's  first  duty  was  to  rectify  his  mistake  of  the 
morning,  and  make  his  brother  understand  that  he 
had  repented  of  the  determination  he  had  made  to 
work  against  him,  and  that  he  was  going  to  do  all 
he  could  to  assist  him.  He  tried  to  do  this,  as  we 
know,  but  did  not  succeed,  for  to  his  great  surprise 
and  sorrow  David  announced  that  he  was  not  going 
to  waste  any  more  time  in  building  traps  for  Dan  to 
break  up,  and  this  led  the  latter  to  believe  that  noth- 
ing more  was  to  be  done  toward  catching  the  quails. 
He  walked  slowly  around  the  cabin,  after  a  short  in- 
terview with  his  brother,  and  the  first  thing  he  saw 
on  which  to  vent  his  rage  was  Don's  pointer,  which 
came  frisking  out  of  his  kennel  and  wagging  his  tail 
by  way  of  greeting,  only  to  be  sent  yelping  back 
again  by  a  vicious  kick  from  Dan's  foot. 

"  I'm  jest  a  hundred  an'  fifty  dollars  outen  pocket 
an'  so  is  pap,"  soliloquized  Dan,  almost  ready  to  cry 
with  vexation  when  he  thought  of  the  magnificent 
prize  which  had  slipped  through  his  fingers.  "  A 
hundred  an'  fifty  dollars  !  My  circus  hoss  an'  fine 
gun  an'  straw  hat  an'  shiny  boots  is  all  up  a  holler 
stump,  dog-gone  my  buttons,  an'  that  thar's  jest 
what's  the  matter  of  me.  An'  what  makes  it  wusser 


THE  BOY  TRAPPER.  127 

is,  I  lost  'em  by  bein'  a  fule,"  added  Dan,  stamping 
his  bare  feet  furiously  upon  the  ground. 

Just  then  a  lively,  cheerful  whistle  sounded  from 
the  inside  of  the  cabin  where  David  was  busy  ar- 
ranging his  purchases.  Things  were  taking  a  turn 
for  the  better  with  him  now,  and  he  whistled  for  the 
same  reason  that  a  bird  sings — because  he  was  happy. 

"  If  I  could  only  think  up  some  way  to  make  that 
thar  mean  Dave  feel  as  bad  as  I  do,  how  quick  I'd 
jump  at  it!  I  wish  pap  was  here.  He'd  tell  me 
how.  He's  as  jolly  as  a  mud-turtle  on  a  dry  log  on 

a  sunshiny  day,  Dave  is,  while  I Whoop!" 

yelled  Dan,  jumping  up  and  striking  his  heels  to- 
gether in  his  rage.  "  Howsomever,  I'll  have  them 
ten  dollars  afore  I  take  a  wink  of  sleep  this  blessed 
night " 

Here  Dan  stopped  and  looked  steadily  at  the 
pointer  for  a  few  minutes.  Then  he  slapped  his  knee 
with  his  open  hand,  thrust  both  arms  up  to  the  elbows 
in  his  pockets  and  walked  up  and  down  the  yard, 
smiling  and  shaking  his  head  as  if  he  were  thinking 
about  something  that  afforded  him  the  greatest  satis- 
faction. 


128  THE    BOY    TRAPPER. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

DOGS   IN   THE   MANGER. 

AVID  would  not  have  been  as  happy  as  he  was 
if  he  had  known  all  that  was  going  on  in  the 
settlement.  As  it  happened,  his  father  and  brother 
were  not  the  only  ones  he  had  to  fear.  These  two 
had  an  eye  on  the  money  he  expected  to  earn  by 
trapping  the  quails,  and  for  that  reason  they  were 
not  disposed  to  interfere  with  him  until  his  work  was 
all  done  and  he  had  reaped  the  reward  of  it;  but 
there  were  two  others  who  had  suddenly  made  up 
their  minds  that  it  was  unsportsmanlike  to  trap  birds 
and  that  it  should  not  be  done  if  they  could  prevent 
it.  They  were  Lester  Brigham  and  his  particular 
friend  and  crony — almost  the  only  one  he  had  in  the 
settlement,  in  fact — Bob  Owens. 

Bob  lived  about  two  miles  from  General  Gordon's, 
and  might  have  ma.de  one  of  the  select  little  com- 
pany of  fellows  with  whom  Don  and  Bert  delighted 
to  associate,  if  he  had  been  so  inclined.  But  he  was 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  129 

much  like  Dan  Evans  in  a  good  many  respects,  and 
had  been  guilty  of  so  many  mean  actions  that  he 
had  driven  almost  all  his  friends  away  from  him. 
He  rode  over  to  the  General's  about  twice  each  week, 
and  while  he  was  there  he  was  treated  as  civilly  and 
kindly  as  every  other  visitor  was  :  but  the  brothers 
never  returned  his  visits,  and  would  have  been  much 
better  satisfied  if  Bob  had  stayed  at  home. 

These  two  boys,  Lester  and  Bob,  were  determined 
that  David  should  not  earn  the  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  if  they  could  help  it,  and  they  knew  that  by 
annoying  him  in  every  possible  way,  they  would  an- 
noy Don  and  Bert,  too :  and  that  was  really  what 
they  wanted  to  do.  What  reason  had  they  for  wish- 
ing to  annoy  Don  and  Bert  ?  No  good  reason.  Did 
you  ever  see  a  youth  who  was  popular  among  his 
fellows,  and  who  Avas  liked  by  almost  everybody, 
both  old  and  young,  who  did  not  have  at  least  one 
enemy  in  some  sneaking  boy,  who  would  gladly  in- 
jure him  by  every  means  in  his  power  ?  Lester  and 
Bob  were  jealous  of  Don  and  Bert,  that  was  the 
secret  of  the  matter  ;  and  more  than  that,  they  were 
disappointed  applicants  for  the  very  contract  which 
Don  had  secured  for  David. 

Bob  regularly  borrowed  and  read  the  "  Rod  and 
9 


130  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

Grun,"  and  when  his  eye  fell  upon  the  advertise- 
ment calling  for  fifty  dozen  live  quails,  he  thought 
he  saw  a  chance  to  make  a  goodly  sum  of  pocket 
money,  and  hurried  off  to  lay  the  matter  before  his 
friend  Lester,  proposing  that  they  should  go  into 
partnership  and  divide  the  profits.  Of  course  Lester 
entered  heartily  into  the  scheme.  He  knew  nothing 
about  building  and  setting  traps,  but  Bob  did,  and 
when  they  had  discussed  the  matter  and  calculated 
their  chances  for  success,  they  told  each  other  that 
in  two  weeks'  time  the  required  number  of  birds 
would  be  on  their  way  up  the  river.  That  very 
day  Bob  addressed  a  letter  to  the  advertiser,  and  as 
soon  as  it  was  sent  off  he  and  Lester  went  to  work 
on  the  traps. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  they  lived  in  a 
fever  of  excitement  and  suspense  after  that,  and 
anxiously  awaited  an  answer  from  the  gentleman 
who  wanted  the  quails.  The  mail  was  brought  in 
by  the  carrier  from  the  county  seat,  on  Wednesday 
and  Friday  afternoons,  and  Bob  and  Lester  made  it 
a  point  to  be  on  hand  when  the  letters  were  dis- 
tributed. One  Wednesday,  about  two  Avecks  after 
the  letter  applying  for  the  order  was  mailed,  Bob 
went  down  to  the  post-office  alone,  and  the  first  per- 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  131 

son  he  met  there  was  Bert  Gordon.  They  leaned 
against  the  countef  and  talked  while  the  mail  was 
being  put  into  the  boxes,  and  when  the  pigeon-hole 
was  opened,  the  postmaster  handed  each  of  them  a 
good-sized  bundle  of  letters  and  papers,  which  they 
began  to  stow  away  in  their  pockets,  glancing 
hastily  at  the  addresses  as  they  did  so.  It  happened 
that  each  of  them  found  a  letter  in  his  bundle, 
which  attracted  his  attention,  and,  as  if  moved  by  a 
common  impulse,  they  walked  toward  opposite  ends 
of  the  counter  to  read  them. 

The  letter  Bert  found  was  addressed  to  Don ; 
but  he  was  pretty  certain  he  could  tell  where  it 
came  from,  and  knowing  that  his  brother  wouldn't 
care — there  were  no  secrets  between  them,  now — 
he  opened  and  read  it.  He  was  entirely  satisfied 
with  its  contents,  but  the  other  boy  was  not  so  well 
satisfied  with  the  contents  of  his.  When  Bert 
picked  up  his  riding- whip  and  turned  to  leave  the 
store,  he  saw  Bob  leaning  against  the  counter, 
mechanically  folding  his  letter,  while  his  eyes  were 
fastened  upon  the  floor,  at  which  he  was  scowling 
savagely. 

"What's  the  matter?"  asked  Bert.  "No  ba4 
news,  I  hope." 


132  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

"Well,  it  is  bad  news,"  replied  Bob,  so  snap- 
pishly, that  Bert  was  sorry  that  he  had  spoken  to 
him  at  all.  "You  see,  I  found  an  advertisement 
in  one  of  your  father's  papers,  asking  for  live  quails. 
I  wrote  to  the  man  that  I  could  furnish  them,  and 
I  have  just  received  an  answer  from  him,  stating 
that  he  has  already  sent  the  order  to  another  party, 
and  one  who  lives  in  my  immediate  neighborhood. 
What's  the  matter  with  you  ?'  exclaimed  Bob,  as 
Bert  broke  out  into  a  cheery  laugh. 

"When  did  you  write  to  him  ?"  asked  Bert. 

"  On  the  very  day  I  borrowed  the  paper." 

"  Well,  Don  was  just  three  days  ahead  of  you. 
I've  got  the  order  in  my  pocket." 

"  What  do  you  and  Don  want  to  go  into  the 
trapping  business  for?"  asked  Bob,  with  ill-con- 
cealed disgust.  "You  don't  need  the  money." 

"Neither  do  you,"  replied  Bert. 

"  Yes,  I  do.  I  intended  to  buy  a  new  shot-gun 
with  it.  I  am  almost  the  only  decent  fellow  in  the 
settlement  who  doesn't  own  a  breech-loader.  I 
have  racked  my  brain  for  months,  to  think  up  some 
way  to  earn  money  enough  to  get  one,  and  when  I 
am  just  about  to  accomplish  my  object,  you  and 
Don  have  to  jump  up  and  rob  me  of  the  chance. 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  133 

The  man  tells  me  that  he  would  he  glad  to  give  me 
the  contract,  if  he  hadn't  given  it  to  you.  I've  a 
a  good  notion  to  slap  you  over." 

"  It  isn't  for  us,"  replied  Bert.  "  It  is  for  Dave 
Evans ;  and  I  think  you  will  acknowledge  that  he 
needs  the  money  if  anybody  does." 

"Dave  Evans!"  sneered  Bob. 

"  Yes ;  and  he  needs  clothes  and  food  more  than 
you  need  a  new  shot-gun." 

"  I  guess  I  know  what  I  want  and  how  much  I 
want  it,"  retorted  Bob.  "  I'm  to  be  shoved  aside 
to  give  place  to  that  lazy  ragamuffin,  am  I  ?  If  I 
don't  make  you  wish  that  you  had  kept  your  nose 
out  of  my  business,  I'm  a  Dutchman." 

Bert  did  not  wait  to  hear  all  of  this  speech.  See- 
ing that  Bob  was  getting  angrier  every  minute,  and 
that  his  rage  was  likely  to  get  the  better  of  him,  he 
drew  on  his  gloves,  mounted  his  pony  and  set  out 
for  home.  Bob  followed  a  quarter  of  a  mile  or  so 
in  his  rear,  and  once  or  twice  he  whipped  up  his 
horse  and  closed  in  on  Bert  as  if  he  had  made  up 
his  mind  to  carry  out  his  threat  of  slapping  him  over. 
But  every  time  he  did  so  a  sturdy,  broad-shouldered 
figure,  with  a  face  that  looked  wonderfully  like  Don 
Gordon's,  seemed  to  come  between  him  and  the  un- 


134  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

conscious  object  of  his  pursuit,  and  then  Bob  would 
rein  in  his  horse  and  let  Bert  get  farther  ahead  of 
him.  Presently  Bob  came  to  a  road  running  at  right 
angles  with  the  one  he  was  following,  and  there  he 
stopped,  for  he  saw  Lester  Brigham  approaching  at 
a  full  gallop.  The  latter  was  by  his  side  in  a  few 
seconds,  and  his  first  question  was : — 

"Been  to  the  post-office?" 

"  I  have,  and  there's  the  letter  on  which  I  built 
so  many  hopes,"  replied  Bob,  handing  out  the  docu- 
ment which  he  had  crumpled  into  a  little  round  ball. 
"  We  were  too  late.  The  order  has  been  given  to 
that  meddlesome  fellow,  Don." 

Lester  looked  first  at  his  companion,  then  at  Bert, 
who  was  now  almost  out  of  sight,  and  began  to  gather 
up  his  reins. 

"  You'd  better  not  do  it,  unless  you  want  to  feel 
the  weight  of  his  brother's  arm,"  said  Bob,  who 
seemed  to  read  the  thoughts  that  were  passing 
through  Lester's  mind.  "  I  gave  him  a  good  going- 
over,  and  told  him  I  had  a  notion  to  knock  him 
down." 

"  Why  didn't  you  do  it  ?"  exclaimed  Lester.  "  I'd 
have  backed  you  against  Don  or  anybody  else." 

"Haw!    haw!"    laughed   Bob.     "I   shall   want 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  135 

good  backing  before  I  willingly  raise  a  row  in  that 
quarter,  I  tell  you." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that  ?"  demanded  Lester. 

"  0,  I  was  just  joking,  of  course.  But  what's  to 
be  done  about  this  business  ?  Don  got  the  contract 
for  Dave  Evans,  and  I  want  to  know  if  we  are  to  be 
kicked  out  of  the  way  to  make  room  for  him." 

Lester  did  not  reply  at  once.  He  did  not  feel 
very  highly  flattered  by  the  low  estimate  Bob  seemed 
to  put  upon  him  as  a  "  backer"  in  case  of  trouble 
with  Don  Gordon,  and  while  he  was  trying  to  make 
up  his  mind  whether  he  ought  to  let  it  pass  or  get 
sulky  over  it,  he  was  unfolding  and  smoothing  out 
the  letter  he  held  in  his  hand.  When  he  had  made 
himself  master  of  its  contents,  he  said : — 

"  You  come  over  and  stay  with  me  to-night,  and 
we'll  put  our  heads  together  and  see  what  we  can 
make  of  this.  I  must  go  down  to  the  store  now, 
and  I'll  meet  you  here  in  half  an  hour.  That  will 
give  you  time  enough  to  go  home  and  speak  to  your 
folks." 

Bob  spent  the  night  at  Lester's  house,  and  it  was 
during  the  long  conversation  they  had  before  they 
went  to  sleep,  that  they  made  up  their  minds  that  it 
was  a  mean  piece  of  business  to  trap  quails,  and 


136  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

that  nobody  but  a  miserable  pot-hunter  would  do  it. 
They  adopted  the  dog-in-the-manger  policy  at  once. 
If  they  could  not  trap  the  birds,  nobody  should; 
and  that  was  about  all  they  could  decide  on  just 
then. 

The  next  morning  after  breakfast  they  mounted 
their  horses  and  rode  in  company,  until  they  came 
to  the  lane  that  led  to  Bob's  home  and  there  they 
parted,  Lester  directing  his  course  down  the  main 
road  toward  the  cabin  in  which  David  Evans  lived. 
He  met  David  in  the  road,  as  we  know,  and  laid 
down  the  law  to  him  in  pretty  strong  language ; 
but  strange  enough  the  latter  could  not  be  coaxed 
or  frightened  into  promising  that  he  would  give  up 
his  chance  of  earning  a  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 

Lester  was  in  a  towering  passion  when  he  rode 
away  after  his  conversation  with  David.  Lashing 
his  horse  into  a  run,  he  turned  into  the  first  road  he 
came  to,  and  after  a  two-mile  gallop,  drew  rein  in 
front  of  the  double  log-house  in  which  Bob  Owens 
lived.  There  was  an  empty  wagon-shed  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  road,  and  there  he  found  Bob, 
standing  with  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  and  gazing 
ruefully  at  the  pile  of  traps  upon  which  he  and 
Lester  had  worked  so  industriously,  and  which  he 


TIIE   BOY   TRAPPER.  137 

had  hoped  would  bring  them  in  a  nice  little  sum  of 
spending  money. 

"  Well,  did  you  see  him  ?"  asked  Bob,  as  his 
friend  rode  up  to  the  shed  and  swung  himself  out 
of  the  saddle. 

"I  did,"  was  the  reply,  "and  he  was  as  defiant 
as  you  please.  He  was  downright  insolent." 

"  These  white  trash  are  as  impudent  as  the  nig- 
gers," said  Bob,  "and  no  one  who  has  the  least  re- 
spect for  himself  will  have  anything  to  do  with  them. 
I  used  to  think  that  Don  Gordon  was  something  of 
an  aristocrat,  but  now  I  know  better." 

"I  wish  I  had  given  him  a  goodcowhiding,"  con- 
tinued Lester,  who  did  not  think  it  worth  while  to 
state  that  he  had  been  on  the  point  of  attempting 
that  very  thing,  but  had  thought  better  of  it  when 
he  saw  how  resolutely  David  stood  his  ground. 
"  But  never  mind.  We'll  get  even  with  him. 
We'll  touch  his  pocket,  and  that  will  hurt  him  worse 
than  a  whipping.  It  will  hurt  the  Gordons,  too." 

"  Then  he  wouldn't  promise  to  give  up  the 
idea  of  catching  them  quails  ?  I  am  sorry,  for  if 
we  could  only  frighten  him  off  the  track,  we  would 
write  to  that  man  up  North  telling  him  that  the 
party  with  whom  he  made  his  contract  wasn't  able 


138  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

to  fill  it,  but  we  could  catch  all  the  birds  he  wants 
in  two  weeks." 

"  That's  a  good  idea — a  splendid  idea !"  exclaimed 
Lester;  "and  perhaps  we'll  do  it  any  how,  if  the 
plan  I  have  thought  of  doesn't  prove  successful." 

Lester  then  went  on  to  repeat  the  conversation  he 
had  had  with  David,  as  nearly  as  he  could  recall  it, 
and  wound  up  by  saying : — 

"  I  told  him  that  AVC  were  going  to  start  a  Sports- 
man's Club  among  the  fellows,  and  that  after  we  got 
fairly  going,  our  first  hard  work  should  be  to  break 
up  this  practice  of  trapping  birds.  Of  course  that 
wasn't  true — I  just  happened  to  think  of  it  while  I 
was  talking  to  him — but  why  can't  we  make  it  true  ? 
If  all  the  boys  will  join  in  with  us,  I'd  like  to  see 
him  do  any  trapping  this  winter." 

"  But  who  can  we  get  to  go  in  with  us  ?" 

"  We'll  ask  Don  and  Bert  the  first  thing." 

"Nary  time,"  exclaimed  Bob,  quickly.  "If 
they  are  the  sort  you're  going  to  get  to  join  your 
club,  you  may  just  count  me  out.  I  don't  like 
them." 

"  You  like  them  just  as  well  as  I  do ;  but  we 
have  an  object  to  gain,  and  we  mustn't  allow  our  per- 
sonal feelings  to  stand  in  our  way." 


THE   BOY  TRAPPER.  139 

"  Do  you  suppose  Don  would  join  such  a  club 
after  getting  Dave  the  job  ?" 

"  Perhaps  he  would.  He  likes  to  be  first  in  every- 
thing, doesn't  he  ?" 

"  I  should  say  so,"  replied  Bob,  in  great  disgust. 
"  I  never  saw  a  fellow  try  to  shove  himself  ahead  as 
that  Don  Gordon  does." 

"  Well,  we'll  flatter  him  by  offering  to  make  him 
President  of  the  club  ;  and  we'll  promise  to  make 
Bert  Vice  or  Secretary." 

"  I'll  not  vote  for  either  of  them." 

"  Yes,  you  will.  We  want  to  get  them  on  our 
side ;  for  if  they  promise  to  go  in  with  us  every  boy 
in  the  settlement  will  do  the  same." 

"  That's  what  makes  me  so  mad  every  time  I 
think  of  those  Gordons,"  exclaimed  Bob,  spitefully 
throwing  down  a  stick  which  he  had  been  cutting 
with  his  knife.  "  Every  fellow  about  here,  except 
you  and  me,  is  ready  to  hang  on  to  their  coat  tails  and 
do  just  what  they  do.  One  would  think  by  the  way 
they  act  that  they  belonged  to  some  royal  family. 
They  don't  notice  me  at  all.  They've  had  a  crowd 
of  boys  in  that  shooting-box  of  theirs  every  spring 
and  fall  since  I  can  remember,  and  I  have  never 
had  an  invitation  to  go  there  yet.  They  take  along 


140  THE    BOY    TRAPPER. 

a  nigger  to  cook  for  them,  and  have  a  high  old  time 
shooting  over  their  decoys ;  but  the  first  thing 
they  know  they'll  find  that  shanty  missing  some  fine 
morning.  I'll  set  fire  to  it." 

"  Don't  say  that  out  loud,''  said  Lester,  quickly, 
at  the  same  time  extending  his  hand  to  his  compan- 
ion, as  if  to  show  that  what  he  had  said  met  his 
own  views  exactly.  "  Don't  so  much  as  hint  it  to 
a  living  person.  We'll  give  them  a  chance  to  make 
friends  with  us  if  they  want  to,  and  if  they  don't, 
let  them  take  the  consequences.  But  we  can  talk 
about  that  some  other  time.  What  do  you  say  to 
getting  up  a  Sportsman's  Club  ?" 

Bob  did  not  know  what  to  say,  for  he  had  never 
heard  of  such  a  thing  until  he  became  acquainted 
with  Lester.  The  latter  explained  the  objects  of 
such  organizations  as  well  as  he  could,  and  after 
some  debate  they  crossed  over  to  the  house,  intending 
to  go  into  Bob's  room  and  draw  up  a  constitution  for 
the  government  of  the  proposed  society.  On  the 
way  Bob  suddenly  thought  of  something. 

"  You  and  I  want  to  earn  this  money,  don't  we  ?' 
said  he.     "  That's  what  we're  working  for,  isn't  it  ? 
Well,  now,  if  we  put  a  stop  to  trapping,  how  are  we 
going  to  do  it?" 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  141 

"  This  is  the  way  we're  going  to  do  it :  we'll 
drive  Dave  Evans  off  the  track  first.  When  that  is 
done,  we'll  tell  that  man  up  North  that  we  are  the 
only  one's  here  who  can  fill  his  order.  Then  we'll 
go  quietly  to  work  and  catch  our  birds,  saying  noth- 
ing to  nobody  about  it,  and  when  we  have  trapped 
all  we  want,  we'll  ship  them  off." 

"  But  somebody  will  see  us  when  we  are  putting 
them  on  the  boat." 

"  No  matter  for  that.  The  mischief  will  be  done, 
and  we'll  see  how  Don  and  Dave  will  help  them- 
selves. We  can  afford  to  be  indifferent  to  them 
when  we  -have  seventy-five  dollars  apiece  in  our 
pockets,  can't  we?" 

"Lester,  you're  a  brick!"  exclaimed  Bob.  "I 
never  could  have  thought  up  such  a  plot.  I'll  have 
my  gun  after  all." 

"  Of  course  you  will." 

"  And  what  will  become  of  the  club  ?" 

"We  don't  care  what  becomes  of  it.  Having 
served  our  purpose,  it  can  go  to  smash  and  welcome. 
Now  will  you  vote  for  Don  and  Bert  ?" 

"  I'll  be  only  too  glad  to  get  the  chance.  But 
you'll  have  to  manage  the  thing,  Lester." 

"  I'll  do  that.     All  I  ask  of  you  is  to  talk  the 


142  THE  .BOY   TRAPPER. 

matter  up  among  the  boys,  that  is,  if  Don  and  Bert 
agree  to  join  us,  and  put  in  your  vote  when  the  time 
comes." 

The  two  friends  spent  the  best  part  of  the  day  in 
Bob's  room,  drawing  up  the  constitution  that  was 
to  govern  their  society.  Lester,  who  did  all  the 
writing,  had  never  seen  a  document  of  the  kind,  and 
having  nothing  to  guide  him  he  made  rather  poor 
work  of  it.  He  had  read  a  few  extracts  from  game 
laws,  and  remembered  that  Greek  and  Latin  names 
were  used  therein.  He  could  recall  some  of  these 
names,  and  he  put  them  in  as  they  occurred  to  him, 
and  talked  about  them  so  glibly,  and  appeared  to  be 
so  thoroughly  posted  in  natural  history  that  Bob 
was  greatly  astonished.  Of  course  there  was  a 
clause  in  the  instrument  prohibiting  pot-hunting  and 
the  snaring  of  birds,  and  that  was  as  strong  as  lan- 
guage could  make  it.  The  work  being  done  at  last 
to  the  satisfaction  of  both  the  boys,  Lester  mounted 
his  horse  and  galloped  away  in  the  direction  of  Don 
Gordon's  home. 


IHE  BOY   TRAPPER.  143 


CHAPTER  IX. 

NATURAL   HISTORY. 

T  ESTER  BRIGHAM  was  not  at  all  intimate 
"^  with  Don  and  Bert.  The  brothers,  as  in  duty 
bound,  called  upon  him  when  he  first  arrived  in  the 
settlement,  and  a  few  days  afterward  Lester  rode 
over  and  took  dinner  with  them  ;  and  that  was  the 
last  of  their  visiting.  The  boys  could  see  nothing 
to  admire  in  one  another.  Don  and  Bert  were  a 
little  too  "high-toned;"  in  other  words,  they  were 
young  gentlemen,  and  such  fellows  did  not  suit  Lester, 
who  preferred  to  associate  with  Bob  Owens  and  a 
few  others  like  him.  Lester  had  been  a  Icadei 
among  his  city  schoolmates,  and  he  expected  to  oc- 
cupy the  same  position  among  the  boys  about  Roch- 
dale ;  but  before  he  had  been  many  weeks  in  the 
settlement  he  found  that  there  were  some  fellows 
there  who  knew  just  as  much  as  he  did,  who  rode 
horses  and  wore  clothes  as  good  as  his  own,  and  who 
had  some  very  decided  opinions  and  were  in  the 
habit  of  thinking  for  themselves.  They  wouldn't 


144  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

"  cotton"  to  him  even  if  he  was  from  the  city,  and 
so  Lester  made  friends  with  those  whom  he  regarded 
as  his  inferiors  in  every  way. 

Lester  was  not  at  all  pleased  with  the  task  he  had 
set  himself  on  this  particular  day.  He  never  felt 
easy  in  Don's  presence  and  Bert's,  and  nothing  but 
the  hope  of  compelling  David  to  give  up  his  contract 
and  thus  leave  the  way  clear  for  Bob  and  himself, 
would  have  induced  him  to  call  upon  them.  He 
rode  slowly  in  order  to  postpone  the  interview  as 
long  as  he  could,  but  the  General's  barn  was  reached 
at  last,  and  the  hostler,  who  came  forward  to  take  his 
nag,  told  him  that  Don  and  Bert  had  just  gone  into 
the  house.  The  latter  opened  the  door  in  response 
to  his  knock,  and  Lester  knew  by  the  way  he  looked 
at  him  that  he  was  very  much  surprised  to  see  him. 
But  he  welcomed  him  very  cordially,  and  conducted 
him  into  the  library,  where  Don  was  lying  upon  the 
sofa. 

"  That  night  in  the  potato  cellar  was  a  serious 
matter  for  you,  wasn't  it?"  said  the  visitor,  after  the 
greeting  was  over  and  he  had  seated  himself  in  the 
chair  which  Bert  placed  in  front  of  the  fire. 
"  Haven't  you  been  able  to  take  any  exercise  at  all 
yet?" 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  145 

rt  0,  yes  ;  I've  been  out  all  day.  I've  had  almost 
too  much  exercise,  and  that  is  what  puts  me  here  on 
the  sofa." 

"  We've  had  some  excitement,  too,"  added  Bert. 

"  Yes.  We  went  up  the  bayou  to  see  if  the  ducks 
had  begun  to  come  in  any  yet,  and  we  found  a  bear 
on  Bruin's  Island." 

"  Did  you  shoot  him  ?" 

"No.  He  gave  us  notice  to  clear  out  and  we 
were  only  too  glad  to  do  so.  Such  growls  I  never 
heard  before." 

"  One's  nerves  do  shake  a  little  under  such  cir- 
cumstances, that  is,  if  he  is  not  accustomed  to  shoot- 
ing large  game,"  said  Lester,  loftily.  "  You  ought 
to  have  had  me  there.  Perhaps  1 11  go  up  some  day 
and  pay  my  respects  to  him." 

Don,  who  thought  this  a  splendid  opportunity  to 
test  Lester's  courage,  was  on  the  very  point  of  tell- 
ing him  that  he  and  Bert  were  going  up  there  the 
next  day  to  see  if  they  could  find  the  animal,  and 
that  they  would  be  glad  to  have  his  assistance ;  but 
on  second  thought  he  concluded  that  he  would  say 
nothing  about  it.  He  expected  to  have  some  sport 
as  well  as  some  excitement  during  the  trip,  and  he 
10 


146  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

didn't  want  his  day's  enjoyment  spoiled  by  any  such 
fellow  as  Lester  Brigham. 

"  I  came  over  to  see  you  two  boys  on  business," 
continued  the  visitor,  drawing  an  official  envelope 
from  his  pocket.  "  We  talk  of  getting  up  a  Sports- 
man's Club  here  in  the  settlement :  will  you  join 
it?" 

"  Who  are  talking  of  getting  it  up,  and  what  is 
the  object  of  it  ?"  asked  Don. 

"  All  the  boys  are  talking  of  it.  One  object  is  to 
bring  the  young  sportsmen  of  the  neighborhood  into 
more  intimate  relations,  and  another  is  to  protect 
the  game.  Perhaps  I  can  give  you  no  better  idea 
of  the  proposed  organization  than  by  reading  this 
constitution,  which  will  be  acted  upon  by  the  club  at 
its  first  meeting." 

As  Lester  said  this  he  looked  from  one  to  the 
other  of  the  brothers,  and  receiving  a  nod  from  each 
which  signified  that  they  were  ready  to  listen,  he 
drew  out  the  document  of  which  he  had  spoken,  and 
proceeded  to  read  it  in  his  best  style.  He  glanced 
at  his  auditors  occasionally  while  he  was  reading  the 
paper,  and  when  he  came  to  a  certain  paragraph, 
the  one  upon  which  he  and  Bob  had  expended  the 
most  time  and  thought,  he  told  himself  that  he  had 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  147 

certainly  made  an  impression,  for  Bert  looked  bewil- 
dered and  Don  straightened  up,  drew  a  note-book 
from  his  pocket  and  began  making  entries  therein 
with  a  lead-pencil.  The  paragraph  read  as  follows : 

"  The  great  object  of  the  club  being  to  put  down 
pot-hunters  and  poachers,  and  stop  the  practice, 
which  is  so  common,  of  trapping  game  and  shipping 
it  out  of  the  country,  it  is  hereby 

"  Resolved,  that  on  and  after  the  date  of  the  adop- 
tion of  this  constitution,  it  shall  be  unlawful  for  any 
person  to  take  by  trapping,  at  any  season  of  the  year, 
or  on  any  lands,  whether  private  in  their  own  occu- 
pation, public  or  waste,  any  of  the  game  animals  and 
birds  hereinafter  described,  to  wit:  pheasant  (T. 
Seolopax);  partridge  (Picus  Imperialis) ;  rabbit 
(Ortyx  Virgiana) ;  and  red  deer  (Canis  Lupus). 
The  penalty  for  disobedience  shall  be  a  fine  of  ten 
dollars  for  the  first  offence,  twenty  for  the  second, 
thirty  for  the  third,  and  so  on  ;  the  fines  to  be  sued 
and  recovered  before  any  justice  of  the  peace  in  the 
county,  and  to  be  divided  in  equal  parts  between 
the  informer  and  the  poor ;  and  in  default  of  pay- 
ment the  offender  shall  be  imprisoned  for  ten  days 
in  the  county  jail." 

When  the  document  was  finished,  Don  asked  him 


148  THE    BOY    TRAPPER. 

to  read  this  clause  over  again.  He  complied  with 
the  request,  and  as  he  folded  the  paper  very  delibe- 
rately waited  for  his  auditors  to  say  a  word  of  com- 
mendation ;  but  as  they  didn't  do  it,  he  said  it  him- 
self. 

"Now,  I  drew  up  that  instrument,  and  I 
think  it  is  just  about  right,"  said  he,  complacently. 
"  It  is  nothing  but  the  truth,  if  I  do  say  it  myself, 
that  there  is  not  another  fellow  in  the  settlement 
who  could  have  done  it.  Of  course  it  will  be  open 
to  amendments,  but  I  don't  see  how  or  where  it 
could  be  improved.  It  covers  all  the  ground,  doesn't 
it?' 

"  It  covers  a  good  deal,  and  especially  the  article 
you  read  twice,"  replied  Don.  "But  I  can't  join 
such  an  organization  as  that.  I'm  a  pot-hunter 
myself.  I  never  went  hunting  yet,  without  I  in- 
tended to  shoot  something  for  the  table." 

"  But  you  are  not  a  poacher." 

"  I  don't  know  about  that.  I  hunt  in  every  field 
ani  piece  of  woods  I  find,  no  matter  who  owns 
them." 

"Perhaps  I  had  better  change  that,"  said  Lester, 
after  thinking  a  moment,  "and  say  market-shooters 
instead  of  pot-hunters." 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  149 

"  There  are  no  such  things  as  market-shooters  in 
the  county." 

"  But  there  are  market-trappers,"  said  Lester. 
"  There  are  persons  here,  who  are  catching  quails 
and  shipping  them  out  of  the  state." 

"  Yes,  there  is  one  who  thinks  of  going  into  the 
business,  and  I  got  him  the  job.  It  wouldn't  look 
very  well  for  me  to  turn  around  now  and  tell  him 
that  he  must  not  do  it." 

"  You  could  say  to  him  that  you  have  had  reason 
to  change  your  mind  lately,  and  that  you  know  it 
isn't  right  to  do  such  things." 

"But  I  haven't  changed  my  mind." 

"  You  ought  to.  The  first  thing  you  know  there 
will  be  no  birds  for  you  and  me  to  shoot." 

"  I'll  risk  that.  You  may  trap  two  hundred  dozen 
if  you  want  to,  and  send  them  out  of  the  county, 
and  when  you  have  done  it,  I  will  go  out  any  morn- 
ing with  my  pointer  and  shoot  birds  enough  for 
breakfast.  I'll  leave  more  in  the  fields,  too,  than 
you  can  bag  in  six  months,"  added  Don,  and  Bert 
saw  the  point  he  was  trying  to  make,  if  Lester  did 
not.  "  Besides,  what  right  have  I  to  tell  Dave  what 
he  shall  do  and  what  he  shall  not  do  ?  He'd  laugh 
at  me." 


150  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

"  Well,  he  wouldn't  do  it  more  than  once.  A  few- 
days  in  the  calaboose  would  bring  him  to  his  senses." 

"Who  would  put  him  there?" 

"The  club  would." 

"  Where's  the  club's  authority  for  such  a  pro- 
ceeding?" 

Lester  lifted  the  constitution  and  tapped  it  with 
his  forefinger  by  way  of  reply. 

"  I  think  I  had  better  have  nothing  to  do  with  it," 
said  Don,  who  could  scarcely  refrain  from  laughing 
outright. 

"We  intend  to  make  you  our  president,"  said 
Lester. 

"I  am  obliged  to  you,"  replied  Don,  but  still  he 
did  not  take  any  more  interest  in  the  Sportsman's 
Club  than  he  had  done  before.  He  did  not  snap  up 
the  bait  thus  thrown  out,  as  Lester  hoped  he  would. 
He  was  not  to  be  bought,  even  by  the  promise  of 
office.  Lester  saw  that,  and  arose  to  take  his 
leave. 

"  Well,  think  it  over,"  said  he.  "  Sleep  on  it  for 
a  few  nights,  and  if  at  any  time  you  decide  to  go  in 
with  us,  just  let  me  know.  Good  evening  !" 

"  I'll  do  so,"  answered  Don.     "  Good  evening  !" 

Lester  bowed  himself  out  of  the  room  and  Bert 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  151 

accompanied  him  to  the  door.     The  first  question 
the  latter  asked  when  he  came  back  was : — 

"  Is  there  a  beast  or  a  bird  in  the  world  whose 
Latin  name  is  canis-lupus  ?" 

Don  threw  himself  back  upon  the  sofa  and  laughed 
until  the  room  rang  again.  "  Is  there  a  beast  or  a 
bird  in  the  world  whose  English  name  is  dog-wolf?" 
he  asked,  as  soon  as  he  could  speak.  "  I  did  give 
Lester  credit  for  a  little  common  sense  and  a  little 
knowledge,  but  I  declare  he  possesses  neither.  It 
beats  the  world  how  he  has  got  things  mixed.  Just 
listen  to  this,"  added  Don,  consulting  his  note-book. 
"  He  speaks  of  a  pheasant  and  calls  it  T.  Scolopax. 
Now  Scolopax  is  a  snipe.  He  probably  meant  ruffed 
grouse,  and  should  have  called  it  Tetrao  Umbellus. 
He  speaks  of  a  partridge  when  he  means  quail,  or 
more  properly  Bob  White,  there  being  no  quails  on 
this  side  the  Atlantic " 

"  Why  do  people  call  them  quails  then  ?"  asked 
Bert. 

"  The  name  was  given  to  them  by  our  forefathers, 
because  they  resembled  the  European  quail.  There 
is  no  pheasant  in  America  either ;  but  our  grouse 
looked  like  one,  and  so  they  gave  it  that  name. 
Lester  calls  a  quail  Picus  Imperially.  Now  that's 


152  THE    BOY    TRAPPER. 

an  imperial  woodpecker — that  big  black  fellow  with 
a  red  topknot  that  we  sometimes  see  when  we  are 
hunting.  He  used  to  be  called  cock-of-the-woods, 
but  the  name  was  twisted  around  until  it  became 
woodcock,  and  some  people  believe  that  he  is  the 
gamey  little  bird  we  so  much  delight  to  shoot  and 
eat.  But  they  belong  to  different  orders,  one  being 
a  climber  and  the  other  a  wader.  Lester  speaks  of 
a  rabbit,  not  knowing  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as 
a  wild  rabbit  in  our  country,  and  calls  it  Ortyx  Vir- 
giana,  when  he  should  have  called  it  Lepus  Virgin- 
ianus,  the  name  he  uses  being  the  one  by  which  our 
quail  is  known  to  ornithologists.  A  deer,  which  he 
calls  a  dog-wolf,  is  Oervus  Virginianus.  0,  he's  a 
naturalist  as  well  as  a  sportsman,"  shouted  Don,  as 
he  laid  back  upon  the  sofa  and  laughed  until  his 
sides  ached. 

"  Then  he  didn't  get  one  of  the  names  right  ?" 
"  Not  a  single  one.  After  all,  his  ignorance  on 
these  points  is  not  so  astonishing,  for  everybody  is 
liable  to  make  mistakes  ;  but  that  any  boy  living  in 
this  day  and  age  should  imagine  that,  by  simply  get- 
ting up  a  club  and  adopting  a  constitution,  he  could 
imprison  or  fine  another  boy  because  he  didn't  do 
just  to  puit  him,  is  too  ridiculous  to  be  believed. 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  153 

That  particular  paragraph  was  probably  copied  after 
some  old  game  law  Lester  read  years  ago ;  but  he 
ought  to  know  that  before  a  sportsman's  club,  or  any 
other  organization,  can  have  authority  to  prosecute 
persons  for  trapping  birds  and  sending  them  away, 
there  must  first  be  a  law  passed  prohibiting  such 
trapping  and  sending  away  ;  and  there's  no  such  law 
in  this  state.  It  doesn't  seem  possible  that  he  could 
have  been  in  earnest." 

But  Lester  was  in  earnest  for  all  that — so  very 
much  in  earnest  that  he  was  willing  to  run  a  great 
risk  in  order  to  punish  Don  for  refusing  to  join  his 
society.  Of  course  he  was  angry.  He  and  Bob  had 
felt  sure  of  obtaining  the  contract,  had  laid  many 
plans  for  the  spending  of  the  money  after  it  was 
earned,  and  it  was  very  provoking  to  find  that  their 
scheme  had  been  defeated,  and  that  they  were  to  be 
pushed  aside  for  the  sake  of  such  a  fellow  as  David 
Evans.  Lester  was  sorry  now  that  he  had  not  given 
David  a  good  thrashing  when  he  met  him  in  the 
road  that  morning,  and  told  himself  that  he  would 
do  it  the  very  next  time  he  put  eyes  on  him  and  risk 
the  consequences.  The  thought  had  scarcely  passed 
through  his  mind  when  the  opportunity  was  pre- 
sented. He  met  David  coming  along  the  road  in 


154  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

company  with  his  brother  Dan.  David  did  not  seem 
to  remember  that  any  sharp  words  had  passed  between 
Lester  and  himself,  for  he  looked  as  cheerful  -and 
smiling  as  usual,  and,  following  the  custom  of  the 
country,  bowed  to  the  horseman  as  he  rode  past. 
Lester  did  not  return  the  bow,  and  neither  did  he 
dismount  to  give  David  the  promised  thrashing. 
He  was  afraid  to  attempt  it ;  but,  coward-like,  he 
had  to  take  vengeance  upon  something,  and  so  he 
hit  his  horse  a  savage  cut  with  his  riding-whip. 

"Dave  can  afford  to  be  polite  and  good-natured," 
thought  Lester,  as  he  went  flying  down  the  road. 
"  He  is  rejoicing  over  his  success  and  my  failure ; 
but  if  he  only  knew  it,  this  thing  isn't  settled  yet. 
I'll  write  to  that  man  to-night,  telling  him,  that  the 
parties  to  whom  he  gave  the  contract  can't  catch  the 
birds,  and  then  Bob  and  I  will  go  to  work  and  make 
it  true.  If  we  don't  earn  that  money,  nobody  shall. 
As  for  those  stuck-up  Gordons — I'll  show  them  how 
I'll  get  even  with  them." 

The  spirited  animal  on  which  he  was  mounted 
made  short  work  of  the  two  miles  that  lay  between 
Don's  home  and  Bob's,  and  in  a  few  minutes  Lester 
dismounted  in  front  of  the  wagon-shed,  where  his 
crony  was  waiting  for  him. 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  155 

"I've  had  no  luck  at  all,"  said  he,  in  reply  to 
Bob's  inquiring  look.  "  I  might  as  well  have 
stayed  at  home.  Don  says  he  can't  join  a  club  of 
this  kind,  because,  having  got  David  the  job  of  trap- 
ping the  quails,  he  can't  go  back  on  him.  He  says 
he's  a  poacher  and  pot-hunter  himself;  and  what 
surprised  me  was,  he  did  not  seem  to  be  at  all 
ashamed  of  it." 

"  Of  course  he  wasn't  ashamed,"  said  Bob.  "  He 
thinks  that  everything  he  and  his  pale-faced  brother 
do  is  just  right.  Did  he  say  anything  about  what 
passed  between  Bert  and  myself  at  the  post-office?" 

"Not  a  word." 

"I  was  afraid  he  would,"  said  Bob,  drawing  a 
long  breath  of  relief,  "  for  he  knows  that  you  and 
I  are  friends." 

Yes,  Don  knew  that,  but  there  were  two  good 
reasons  why  he  had  not  spoken  to  Lester  about 
Bob's  threat  of  slapping  Bert  over.  In  the  first 
place,  he  was  not  aware  that  Bob  had  made  any 
such  threat.  Bert  was  one  of  the  few  boys  we  have 
met,  who  did  not  believe  in  telling  everything  he 
knew.  Do  you  know  such  a  boy  among  your  com- 
panions ?  If  you  do,  you  know  one  whom  nobody 
is  afraid  to  trust.  Bert  wanted  to  live  in  peace, 


156  THE    BOY    TRAPPER. 

and  thought  it  a  good  plan  to  quell  disturbances, 
instead  of  helping  them  along.  He  knew  that  if 
he  told  his  brother  what  had  happened  in  the  post- 
office,  there  would  be  a  fight,  the  very  first  time  Don 
and  Bob  met,  and  Bert  didn't  believe  in  fighting. 
But  even  if  Don  had  known  all  about  it,  he  would 
not  have  said  anything  to  Lester.  He  would  have 
waited  until  he  met  Bob,  and  then  he  would  have 
used  some  pretty  strong  arguments,  and  driven  them 
home  by  the  aid  of  his  fist.  How  much  trouble 
might  be  avoided,  if  there  were  a  few  more  boys 
like  Bert  Gordon  in  the  world ! 

"I  am  not  sorry  I  went  down  there,"  continued 
Lester,  "for  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  showing  those 
conceited  fellows  that  there  are  some  boys  in  the  set- 
tlement besides  themselves  who  knoAV  a  thing  or  two. 
I  read  the  constitution  to  them,  and  it  would  have 
made  you  laugh  to  see  them  open  their  eyes.  Bert 
was  so  astonished  that  he  couldn't  say  a  word,  and 
Don  never  took  his  gaze  off  my  face  while  I  was  read- 
ing. When  I  got  through  he  asked  me  to  read  that 
clause  with  the  Latin  and  Greek  in  it  over  again,  so 
that  he  could  copy  the  names  in  his  note-book.  He'll 
learn  them  by  heart,  and  use  them  some  time  in  con- 
versation and  so  get  the  reputation  of  being  a  very 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  157 

smart  and  a  very  learned  boy.  If  he  does  it 
in  your  presence,  I  want  you  to  let  folks  know 
that  he  is  showing  off  on  the  strength  of  my 
brains.  I  don't  suppose  the  ignoramus  ever  knew 
before " 

"Well,  who  cares  whether  he  did  or  not?"  ex- 
claimed Bob,  impatiently.  "  That's  a  matter  that 
doesn't  interest  me.  Is  Dave  Evans  going  to  make 
that  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  and  cheat  me  out  of  a 
new  shot-gun  ?  That's  what  I  want  to  know  !" 

"Of  course  he  isn't,"  replied  Lester.  "We 
can't  stop  him  by  the  aid  of  the  Sportsman's  Club, 
and  so  we  will  stop  him  ourselves  without  the  aid 
of  anybody.  Let  him  go  to  work  and  set  his  traps, 
and  we'll  see  how  many  birds  he  will  take  out  of 
them.  We'll  rob  every  one  we  can  find  and  keep 
the  quail  ourselves.  In  that  way  we  may  be  able  to 
make  up  the  fifty  dozen  without  setting  any  of  our 
own  traps.  We'll"  write  to  that  man,  as  you  sug- 
gested, and  when  Dave  finds  he  can't  catch  any 
birds,  he'll  get  discouraged  and  leave  us  a  clear  field. 
But  first  I  want  to  touch  up  Don  and  Bert  Gordon 
a  little  to  pay  them  for  the  way  they  treated  me  this 
evening.  That  shooting-box  shall  be  laid  in  ashes 
this  very  night.  I  expected  an  invitation  to  shoot 


158  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

there  last  spring,  but  I  didn't  get  it,  and  now  I  am 
determined  that  they  shall  never  ask  anybody  there. 
What  do  you  say  ?" 

"  I  say,  I'm  your  man,"  replied  Bob. 

And  so  the  thing  was  settled.  Lester  put  his 
horse  in  the  barn,  went  in  to  supper,  which  was  an- 
nounced in  a  few  minutes  (Bob  found  opportunity 
before  he  sat  down  to  the  table  to  purloin  a  box  of 
matches,  which  he  put  carefully  away  in  his  pocket), 
and  when  the  meal  was  over,  the  two  boys  went  back 
to  the  wagon-shed,  where  they  sat  and  talked  until  it 
began  to  grow  dark.  Then  Bob  brought  a  couple 
of  paddles  out  of  the  corner  of  the  wagon-shed, 
handed  one  to  his  companion,  and  the  two  walked 
slowly  down  the  road.  When  they  were  out  of  sight 
of  the  house  they  climbed  the  fence,  and  directed 
their  course  across  the  fields  toward  the  head  of  the 
lake.  Then  they  quickened  their  pace.  They  had 
much  to  do,  and  they  wanted  to  finish  their  work 
and  return  to  the  house  before  their  absence  was  dis- 
covered. 

Half  an  hour's  rapid  walking  brought  them  to  the 
road  just  below  General  Gordon's  barn.  The  next 
thing  was  to  make  their  way  along  the  foot  of  the 
garden  until  they  reached  the  jetty,  and  that  was 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  159 

an  undertaking  that  was  not  wholly  free  from  dan- 
ger. Don  Gordon's  hounds  were  noted  watch-dogs, 
and  any  prowlers  they  discovered  were  pretty  certain 
to  be  severely  treated.  But  there  was  no  flinching 
on  the  part  of  the  two  boys.  Bob  led  the  way  almost 
on  his  hands  and  knees,  stopping  now  and  then  to 
listen,  and  finally  brought  his  companion  to  the  place 
where  the  boats  were  moored.  There  was  only  one 
of  them  available,  however,  for  the  canoe,  which  they 
had  intended  to  take,  was  secured  to  a  tree  by  a 
heavy  padlock. 

"  Did  you  ever  hear  of  such  luck  ?"  whispered 
Bob. 

"  Couldn't  we  paddle  the  other  up  there  ?"  asked 
Lester,  feeling  of  the  chain  with  which  the  sail-boat 
was  fastened  to  the  wharf,  to  make  sure  that  it  was 
not  locked. 

"  0,  yes  ;  but  why  is  this  canoe  locked  up  ?  That's 
what  bothers  me.  Perhaps  Don  suspects  something 
and  is  on  the  watch." 

"Who  cares  if  he  is?"  exclaimed  Lester.  "I've 
come  too  far  to  back  out  now.  I  wouldn't  do  it  if 
Don  and  all  his  friends  stood  in  my  way." 

"  All  right.  If  you  are  not  afraid,  I  am  not. 
Be  careful  when  you  cast  off  that  chain.  You  know 


1GO  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

that  sound  travels  a  long  way  on  a  still  night  like 
this." 

Lester  was  careful,  and  the  boat  was  pushed  off 
and  got  under  way  so  noiselessly  that  a  person  stand- 
ing on  the  bank  would  not  have  known  that  there 
was  anything  going  on.  Bob,  who  knew  just  where 
the  shooting-box  was  located,  sat  in  the  stern  and  did 
the  steering,  at  the  same  time  assisting  Lester  in 
paddling.  The  heavy  boat  moved  easily  through  the 
water,  and  before  another  half  hour  had  passed  they 
were  at  their  journey's  end. 

"  Hold  up  now,"  whispered  Bob,  "  and  let's  make 
sure  that  everything  is  all  right  before  we  touch  the 
shore." 

Lester  drew  in  his  paddle  and  listened.  He  heard 
a  whistling  in  the  air,  as  a  solitary  duck  flew  swiftly 
up  the  lake,  and  that  was  the  only  sound  that  broke 
the  stillness.  The  trees  on  the  shore  loomed  up 
darkly  against  the  sky,  and  presented  the  appearance 
of  a  solid  wall  of  ebony.  Lester  could  not  see  any- 
thing that  looked  like  a  shooting-box,  but  Bob  knew 
it  was  there,  and  when  he  had  listened  long  enough 
to  satisfy  himself  that  there  was  nobody  in  it  or 
about  it,  he  brought  the  bow  of  the  boat  around  and 
paddled  toward  the  shore. 


THE   BOY   TRAPPEK.  161 

"  Which  way  is  it  from  here  ?"  asked  Lester,  when 
the  two  had  disembarked.  "  I  can't  see  anything." 

"Hold  fast  to  my  coat-tail,"  replied  Bob,  "and 
I'll  show  it  to  you  in  a  minute." 

Lester  being  thus  taken  in  tow  was  safely  con- 
ducted up  the  bank.  Presently  he  heard  a  door  un- 
latched and  opened,  a  match  was  struck  and  he  found 
himself  inside  the  shooting-box.  He  could  scarcely 
have  been  more  surprised  if  he  had  found  himself 
inside  a  little  palace.  The  shooting-box  was  not  a 
shanty,  as  he  expected  to  find  it,  but  a  conveniently- 
arranged  and  neatly-constructed  house.  He  borrowed 
a  few  matches  of  Bob  and  proceeded  to  take  a 
thorough  survey  of  it.  "  Don  must  have  spent  a 
good  deal  of  time  in  fixing  this  up,"  said  he. 

"  He  certainly  has,"  replied  Bob,  "  and  he  handles 
tools  like  a  born  carpenter,  too.  I  suppose  this  is  a 
nice  place  to  get  away  to  when  the  fellows  are  here 
shooting  over  their  decoys.  Joe  Packard  says  so, 
at  any  rate.  They  have  mattresses  and  bed  clothes 
in  the  bunks,  a  carpet  and  rugs  on  the  floor,  camp 
chairs  and  stools  enough  for  the  whole  party,  and 
they  sit  here  of  evenings  and  crack  hickory-nuts  and 
tell  stories  and  have  boss  times." 

"  It's  almost  a  pity  to  break  up  their  fun." 
11 


162  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

".It's  a  greater  pity  that  Don  should  take  money 
out  of  our  pockets  and  put  it  into  those  of  that  beg- 
gar, Dave  Evans,"  answered  Bob,  spitefully. 

"  That's  so,"  said  Lester,  who  grew  angry  every 
time  he  thought  of  it.  "  Set  her  agoing  !" 

That  was  a  matter  of  no  difficulty.  There  was 
an  abundance  of  dry  fuel  and  kindling  wood  in  the 
little  closet  under  the  chimney,  and  some  of  the 
latter  was  quickly  whittled  into  shavings  by  the  aid 
of  Bob's  pocket  knife,  Lester  standing  by  and  burn- 
ing matches  to  light  him  at  his  work.  More  kindling 
wood  was  placed  upon  the  shavings,  dry  stove  wood 
was  piled  upon  the  top  of  this,  then  the  slats  in  the 
bunks,  the  table  and  every  other  movable  thing  in 
the  cabin  that  would  burn  was  thrown  on,  and  Bob 
took  a  match  in  his  hand  and  extended  another  to 
his  companion. 

"  You  light  one  side  and  I'll  light  the  other," 
said  he.  "  Then  you  can't  say  I  did  it,  and  I  can't 
say  you  did  it!" 

The  matches  blazed  up  on  opposite  sides  at  the 
same  instant.  The  flames  made  rapid  progress,  and 
by  the  time  the  boys  had  closed  the  door  and  got 
into  the  boat,  they  were  roaring  and  crackling  at  a 
great  rate.  They  quickly  shoved  off  and  laid  out 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER,  163 

all  their  strength  on  the  paddles,  but  before  they 
could  reach  the  jetty  the  flames  burst  through  the 
roof  of  the  shooting-box,  and  the  lake  was  lighted 
up  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile  around.  But  no  one  saw 
it,  and  Lester  and  his  companion  put  the  boat  back 
where  they  found  it,  made  their  way  across  the  road 
into  the  fields,  without  alarming  the  hounds,  and 
started  for  home  on  a  keen  run,  no  one  being  the 
wiser  for  what  they  had  done. 


164  THE   BOY    TRAPPER. 


CHAPTER  X. 

A   BEAR    HUNT. 

T'LL  jest  do  it,  an'  it's  the  luckiest  thing  in  the 
world  that  I  thought  of  it.  That  will  make  me 
wuth — "  here  he  stopped  and  counted  his  fingers — 
"  twenty-two  dollars  and  two  bits,  anyhow.  Then 
my  clothes,  an'  stockings,  an'  shoes,  an'  all  the  pow- 
der an'  lead  I  want  this  winter,  won't  cost  me  noth- 
ing ;  so  I  shall  be  rich  fur  all  that  thar  mean  Dave 
is  workin'  so  hard  agin  me." 

It  was  Dan  Evans  who  talked  thus  to  himself,  and 
he  was  standing  behind  the  cabin,  with  his  hands  in 
his  pockets,  and  looking  at  Don's  pointer,  just  as  he 
was  the  last  time  we  saw  him.  He  was  so  very 
much  delighted  with  certain  plans  he  had  determined 
upon  that  that  he  did  not  dare  meet  his  brother 
again  just  then,  for  fear  that  the  expression  of  joy 
and  triumph  which  he  knew  his  face  wore  would  at- 
tract David's  notice  and  put  him  on  his  guard.  So 
he  remained  in  the  rear  of  the  cabin  with  his  thoughts 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  165 

for  company,  until  his  mother  came  home.  The 
dress  David  had  purchased  for  her,  and  which  he 
had  placed  in  the  most  conspicuous  position  he  could 
find,  was  the  first  thing  that  attracted  her  attention 
as  she  entered  the  door.  f)an  heard  her  exclamation 
of  joyful  surprise,  and  listened  with  all  his  ears  in 
the  hope  of  overhearing  some  of  the  conversation 
that  passed  between  her  and  David ;  but  it  was  car- 
ried on  in  a  low  tone  of  voice,  and  Dan  was  no  wiser 
when  it  was  concluded  than  he  was  before.  He 
knew,  however,  by  the  ejaculations  that  now  and 
then  fell  from  his  mother's  lips  that  David  was  tell- 
ing her  something  which  greatly  interested  her,  and 
Dan  would  have  given  almost  anything  to  know  what 
it  was.  lie  heard  his  mother  laugh  a  little  occasion- 
ally, and  that  brought  the  scowl  back  to  his  face 
again.  He  could  not  bear  to  know  that  any  one 
about  that  house  was  happy. 

When  supper  was  over,  and  David  had  done  the 
chores  and  assisted  in  clearing  away  the  dishes,  he 
and  his  mother  seated  themselves  in  front  of  the  fire- 
place and  prepared  to  pass  the  evening  in  conversa- 
tion, as  they  always  did,  while  Dan  threw  himself 
upon  the  "  shake-down"  on  which  he  and  his  brother 
slept,  and  in  a  few  minutes  began  snoring  lustily. 


166  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

He  was  not  asleep,  however.  His  ears  were  open, 
and  so  were  his  eyes  the  most  of  the  time.  He  saw 
everything  that  was  done  and  heard  all  that  passed 
between  his  mother  and  David,  but  not  a  word  did 
he  hear  that  interested  him.  David  had  already 
given  his  mother  a  history  of  the  events  of  the  day. 
She  knew  what  his  plans  were  and  approved  them. 

When  nine  o'clock  came  David  took  possession  of 
the  other  half  of  the  "  shake-down"  and  prepared  to 
go  to  sleep.  He  deposited  his  clothes  at  the  head 
of  the  bed,  as  usual,  and  Dan,  through  his  half-closed 
eyes,  saw  that  he  threw  them  down  in  a  careless  sort 
of  way,  as  though  there  was  nothing  of  value  in 
them. 

"  But  he  can't  fool  me  so  easy,"  thought  Dan. 
"  Not  by  no  means.  Thar's  ten  dollars  somewhar 
in  them  thar  dry  goods,  unless  he  give  'em  to  the  ole 
woman  when  she  fust  come  hum,  an'  they'll  be  mine 
afore  mornin'.  He  wouldn't  go  snacks  with  me, 
like  a  feller  had  oughter  do,  an'  now  I'll  have  'em 
all  !" 

In  an  hour  from  that  time  everybody  in  the  cabin 
appeared  to  be  asleep.  Mrs.  Evans  certainly  was 
and  David  seemed  to  be,  for  he  lay  with  his  eyes 
closed,  and  breathed  long  and  heavily.  Dan  took  a 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  167 

good  look  at  him — the  blazing  fire  on  the  hearth 
made  the  cabin  almost  as  light  as  day — and  then 
reaching  out  his  hand  drew  David's  clothes  toward 
him.  He  searched  all  the  pockets  carefully,  but 
there  was  nothing  in  them  except  a  pocket-knife 
with  two  broken  blades,  and  that  was  not  what  Dan 
was  looking  for.  Muttering  something  under  his 
breath  Dan  turned  all  the  pockets  inside  out  and 
then  felt  of  the  lining  of  the  coat ;  but  as  nothing 
rewarded  his  search  he  tossed  the  clothes  back  upon 
the  floor,  and  cautiously  slipped  his  hand  under  his 
brother's  pillow.  As  he  did  so  David  suddenly  raised 
himself  upright  in  bed,  and  seizing  the  pillow,  lifted 
it  from  its  place. 

"  If  you  want  to  look  under  there,  why  don't 
you  say  so  ?"  he  asked. 

Almost  any  other  boy  would  have  been  overcome 
with  shame  and  mortification,  but  Dan  was  not  easily 
abashed,  and  although  he  felt  a  little  crestfallen,  his 
face  did  not  show  it. 

"  It  isn't  there  you  see,  don't  you  ?"  said  David. 

"  What  isn't  thar?"  growled  Dan. 

"  Why,  the  ten-dollar  bill  you  saw  me  have  at  the 
landing.  It  isn't  in  my  clothes  either,  or  anywhere 
about  the  house." 


168  THE    BOY    TRAPPER. 

"  I  wasn't  lookin'  fur  it,"  returned  Dan. 

"  I'll  tell  you  where  it  is,  if  you  want  to  know," 
continued  David.  "It  is  safe  in  Don  Gordon's 
pocket-book,  and  you  can't  get  it  out  of  there.  I 
told  you  that  you'd  never  have  another  chance  to 
steal  any  of  my  money,  and  I  think  you  will  believe 
it  now.  Good-night,  and  pleasant  dreams  to  you ; 
that  is,  if  you  can  sleep  after  such  a  performance." 

Dan  could  sleep,  and  he  did,  too,  after  he  got  over 
his  rage,  but  his  night's  rest  did  not  seem  to  refresh 
him  much,  for  he  was  cross  and  sullen  the  next 
morning,  and  ate  his  breakfast  without  saying  a  word 
to  anybody.  David  was  as  bright  as  a  lark ;  and 
after  he  had  assisted  his  mother  in  her  household 
duties,  he  took  down  his  rusty  old  single-barrel  from 
the  pegs  over  the  fireplace,  slung  on  his  powder-horn 
and  shot-pouch,  and  when  his  mother  was  ready  to 
go,  he  accompanied  her  down  the  road  toward  Gen- 
eral Gordon's,  leaving  Dan  sitting  on  the  bench, 
moody  and  thoughtful. 

"  They  don't  take  no  more  notice  of  me  nor  if  I 
was  a  yaller  dog  or  a  crooked  stick,"  growled  Dan, 
when  he  found  himself  alone.  "  I'll  pay  'em  fur  it 
by  kickin'  up  a  wusser  row  nor  pap  done  'bout  that 
thar  bar'l,  an'  I  shan't  be  long  a  doin'  of  it  nuther  !" 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  169 

Mrs.  Evans  and  David  separated  at  the  forks  of 
the  road,  the  former  directing  her  course  toward  the 
house  of  the  neighbor  by  whom  she  was  employed, 
and  David  hurrying  on  toward  General  Gordon's. 
When  he  reached  the  head  of  the  lake  he  heard  a 
loud  shout ;  and  looking  in  the  direction  from  which 
it  came,  he  saw  Don  and  Bert  standing  on  the  wharf 
beckoning  to  him.  David  ran  across  the  garden  to 
join  the  brothers,  and  found  that  they  were  all  ready 
to  start  on  the  hunt  they  had  planned  the  day  before. 
A  well-filled  basket,  which  David  knew  contained  a 
substantial  lunch,  stood  on  the  wharf,  and  near  it 
lay  the  General's  heavy  double-barrel  gun,  which 
Bert  had  borrowed  for  the  occasion,  knowing  that  it 
would  throw  buck-shot  with  more  force  than  his  light 
bird  gun.  Bert  was  unfastening  the  canoe,  and 
Don  stood  close  by,  with  his  trusty  rifle  in  one  hand 
and  an  axe  in  the  other.  Two  other  axes  lay  near 
the  lunch  basket,  and  a  couple  of  Don's  best  hounds 
stood  as  close  to  the  edge  of  the  wharf  as  they  could 
get,  wagging  their  tails  vigorously  and  whining  with 
impatience. 

These  hounds  were  large  and  powerful  animals,  and 
their  courage  had  been  tested  in  more  than  one  des- 
perate bear  fight.  If  they  had  been  with  their  mas- 


170  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

ter  when  he  visited  the  island  the  day  before,  some- 
thing disagreeable  might  have  happened.  Godfrey 
Evans  could  not  have  driven  them  away  by  imitating 
the  growl  of  a  wild  animal.  They  welcomed  the  new- 
comer with  their  bugle-like  notes,  and  were  answered 
by  a  chorus  of  angry  yelps  from  the  rest  of  the  pack, 
which  had  been  shut  up  in  the  barn  and  were  to  be 
left  behind. 

"Now,  I  call  this  rather  a  formidable  expedition," 
said  Don,  as  David  came  up.  u  If  that  bear  is  there 
to-day  I  wouldn't  take  a  dollar  for  my  chance  of 
shooting  him.  One  bullet  and  three  loads  of  buck- 
shot will  be  more  than  he  can  carry  away  with  him. 
Here  are  the  axes  to  build  the  trap  with,  if  we  don't 
find  him  on  the  island ;  there's  a  bag  of  corn  for 
bait,  an  auger  to  bore  the  holes  and  the  pins  with 
which  to  fasten  the  logs  together.  Bert  and  I  worked 
in  the  shop  last  night  until  ten  o'clock,  making  those 
pins.  I  think  we  have  everything  we  wan't,  so  we'll 
be  off." 

The  canoe  having  been  hauled  alongside  the  wharf, 
and  the  articles  which  Don  had  enumerated  being 
packed  away  in  it,  the  hounds  jumped  in  and  curled 
themselves  up  in  the  bow,  David  took  his  place  at 
the  oars  and  the  brothers  found  comfortable  seats  in 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  171 

the  stern.  Altogether  it  was  a  heavy  load  the  little 
boat  had  to  carry,  and  she  was  so  deep  in  the  water 
that  her  gunwales  were  scarcely  three  inches  above 
the  surface ;  but  there  were  never  any  heavy  seas  to 
be  encountered  in  that  little  lake,  and  so  there  was 
no  danger  to  be  apprehended. 

David  sent  the  canoe  rapidly  along,  and  presently 
it  entered  the  bayou  that  led  to  Bruin's  Island.  As 
it  approached  Godfrey  Evans's  cabin  Dan  arose  from 
the  bench  on  which  he  was  seated  in  front  of  the 
door,  and  ran  hastily  around  the  corner  of  the  build- 
ing. He  did  not  mean  that  Don  and  Bert  should 
see  him  again,  even  at  a  distance,  if  he  could  help 
it.  He  remained  concealed  until  the  canoe  was  out 
of  sight,  and  then  came  back  to  his  bench  again. 

While  on  the  way  up  the  bayou  the  young  hunters 
stopped  once,  long  enough  to  pick  up  a  brace  of  ducks 
which  Bert  killed  out  of  a  flock  that  arose  from  the 
water  just  in  advance  of  them,  and  at  the  end  of  an 
hour  came  within  sight  of  the  leaning  sycamore  which 
pointed  out  the  position  of  Bruin's  Island.  There 
was  no  one  to  be  seen,  but  that  was  no  proof  that 
the  island  was  deserted.  There  was  some  one  there 
whom  the  three  boys  did  not  expect  to  see  or  hear 
of  very  soon,  and  that  was  Godfrey  Evans.  He  was 


172  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

waiting  for  Dan  to  come  with  the  canoe  and  the 
tobacco  and  other  articles  he  had  been  instructed  to 
purchase  at  the  store.  He  had  watched  for  him 
until  long  after  midnight,  then  retreated  to  his  bed 
of  leaves  under  the  lean-to  for  a  short  nap,  and  at 
the  first  peep  of  day  he  was  again  at  his  post  behind 
the  sycamore.  To  his  great  relief  he  saw  the  boat 
coming  at  last,  but  his  joy  was  of  short  duration,  for 
a  second  look  showed  him  that  Dan  was  not  in  it. 

The  canoe  came  nearer  to  the  island  with  every 
stroke  of  the  oars,  and  presently  one  of  Don's  hounds 
started  to  his  feet,  snuffed  the  air  eagerly  for  a 
moment  and  uttered  a  deep-toned  bay.  Godfrey 
ducked  his  head  on  the  instant  and  crawled  swiftly 
away  from  the  sycamore  on  his  hands  and  knees. 
He  was  careful  to  keep  the  tree  between  himself  and 
those  in  the  boat  until  he  reached  the  cane,  and  then 
he  arose  to  his  feet  and  worked  his  way  toward  his 
camp  with  all  possible  haste. 

"  Them  two  oneasy  chaps  has  come  back  agin, 
just  as  I  thought  they  would,"  said  he  to  himself, 
"  and  our  Dave's  with  'em.  Don's  got  his  rifle  now 
and  his  dogs,  too,  so't  thar  ain't  no  use  tryin'  to 
scare  him  this  time.  I  must  hunt  a  new  hidin'- 
place  now." 


THE   BOY  TRAPPER.  173 

Godfrey  stopped  in  his  camp  just  long  enough  to 
seize  his  rifle  and  ammunition ;  after  which  he 
plunged  into  the  cane  again  and  ran  toward  the 
head  of  the  island.  The  muddy  beach  was  thickly 
covered  with  drift-wood,  and  behind  a  convenient 
pile  of  branches  and  logs  Godfrey  crouched  down 
and  waited  to  see  what  was  going  to  happen. 

The  actions  of  Don's  hounds  made  the  young 
hunters  almost  as  nervous  as  they  made  Godfrey 
Evans.  David  stopped  tugging  at  the  oars  and 
looked  over  his  shoulder ;  Bert  caught  up  his  father's 
double-barrel  and  hastily  loaded  it  with  two  cart- 
ridges containing  buckshot ;  while  Don,  after  bring- 
ing the  canoe  broadside  to  the  island,  dropped  the 
paddle  with  which  he  was  steering,  and  picked  up 
his  rifle. 

"  He's  there  yet,"  said  Bert.  "  The  hounds 
have  scented  him  already." 

"  It  looks  like  it,"  replied  Don.  "  Well,  we  came 
here  to  find  him,  and  if  he  drives  us  away  to-day 
he'll  have  to  fight  to  do  it.  Dave,  you'd  better  load 
up — Bert  has  plenty  of  loose  buckshot  in  his 
pocket — and  mind  you  now,  fellows,  don't  get  ex- 
cited and  shoot  the  dogs.  I'd  rather  let  the  bear 
go  than  have  one  of  them  hurt." 


174  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

While  David  was  loading  his  single-barrel — his 
hands  trembled  a  little,  and  it  took  him  longer  than 
usual  to  do  it — Don  and  Bert  sat  with  their  guns 
across  their  knees,  closely  watching  the  island,  while 
the  hounds  stood  in  the  bow  snuffing  the  air.  They 
caught  some  taint  upon  the  breeze,  that  was  evident, 
for  the  long  hair  on  the  back  of  their  necks  stood 
erect  and  now  and  then  they  growled  savagely. 

When  David  had  driven  home  a  good-sized  charge 
of  buckshot  and  placed  a  cap  upon  his  gun,  he 
leaned  the  weapon  against  the  thwart  upon  which 
he  was  sitting  and  picked  up  the  oars.  Don  dropped 
his  paddle  into  the  water,  and  the  canoe  moved 
around  the  foot  of  the  island  and  along  the  beach, 
until  it  reached  a  point  opposite  the  place  where 
Bert  had  found  the  path  the  day  before.  Then  it 
was  turned  toward  the  bank,  and  the  moment  the 
bow  grounded,  the  hounds  sprang  out.  The  boys 
followed  with  all  haste,  and  Bert,  as  he  stepped 
ashore,  drew  the  canoe  half  way  out  of  the  water, 
so  that  the  current  could  not  carry  her  down 
the  stream. 

"  Now,  we'll  send  the  dogs  in  to  drive  him  out," 
said  Don,  "  and  if  they  can  push  him  fast  enough 
to  make  him  take  to  a  tree,  he's  our  bear ;  but  if 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  175 

he  takes  to  the  water  and  swims  to  the  mainland, 
we  shall  lose  him.  We  don't  care  for  that,  however. 
He'll  be  sure  to  come  back,  and  when  he  does  he'll 
find  a  trap  waiting  for  him.  We'll  see  as  much 
sport  in  catching  him  alive  as  we  would  in  shooting 
him.  Hunt  'em  up,  there!"  he  added,  waving  his 
hand  along  the  path. 

The  hounds,  baying  fierce  and  loud  at  every  jump, 
went  tearing  through  the  cane,  followed  by  the  boys, 
who  moved  in  single  file,  Don  leading  the  way.  A 
very  few  minutes  sufficed  to  bring  them  to  the  cleared 
spot  in  which  Godfrey's  camp  was  located,  and  there 
they  found  the  hounds  running  about  showing  every 
sign  of  anger  and  excitement. 

"  They're  on  a  warm  trail,"  said  Don,  looking  first 
into  each  corner  of  the  cleared  space  and  then  up 
into  the  trees  over  his  head.  "  The  game  has  just 
left  here.  This  is  somebody's  old  camp,  and  the 
bear  has  taken  possession  of  it.  No  doubt  he  slept 
in  that  shanty.  Hunt  'em  up,  there !" 

The  hounds  followed  Godfrey's  trail  through  the 
camp,  and  diving  into  the  cane  on  the  opposite  side 
were  quickly  out  of  sight.  The  boys  followed,  and 
presently  stood  panting  and  almost  breathless  beside 
the  drift-wood  where  the  hounds  were  running  about 


176  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

close  to  the  water's  edge,  now  and  then  looking  toward 
the  opposite  shore  and  baying  loudly.  But  Godfrey 
was  safely  out  of  their  reach.  Seizing  the  opportu- 
nity when  the  hunters  and  dogs  were  hidden  from 
view  in  the  cane,  he  stepped  into  the  water  and 
struck  out  for  the  mainland.  He  had  hardly  time 
to  climb  the  bank  and  conceal  himself  in  the  bushes 
before  Don's  hounds  were  running  about  on  the  very 
spot  where  he  had  been  hidden  but  a  few  minutes  be- 
fore. Why  was  it  that  the  hounds  followed  his  trail 
as  they  would  have  followed  that  of  a  bear  or  deer  ? 
Simply  because  they  scented  him  before  they  reached 
the  island,  and  because  Godfrey  took  so  much  pains 
to  keep  out  of  their  way.  Had  he  stood  out  in  plain 
view  while  the  boat  was  approaching,  the  hounds 
would  have  paid  no  attention  to  him. 

"Well,  he's  gone,"  said  Bert,  and  the  deep  sigh 
that  escaped  his  lips  as  he  uttered  the  words  would 
have  led  cne  to  believe  that  he  was  glad  of  it,  "  and 
now  comes  the  hard  work.  It's  an  all-day's  job  to 
build  that  trap." 

"  It  would  be  if  we  had  to  cut  down  the 
trees  and  trim  off  the  branches,"  replied  David; 
"  but  there  is  some  timber  in  this  drift-wood  that 
will  answer  our  purpose  as  well  as  any  we  could 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  177 

get  ourselves.     Where  are  you  going  to  build  the 
trap,  Don?" 

"  In  there  where  his  den  is  would  be  the  best 
place,  wouldn't  it  ?  Now  let's  go  after  the  axes ; 
and  while  you  and  Bert  are  cutting  the  logs,  I'll  un- 
load the  boat  and  open  a  road  through  the  cane,  so 
that  we  can  haul  our  timber  in  without  any  diffi- 
culty." 

The  work  being  thus  divided  rapid  progress  was 
made.  By  the  time  Don  had  unloaded  the  boat  and 
cut  a  path  leading  from  Godfrey's  camp  to  the  upper 
end  of  the  island,  Bert  and  David  had  selected  and 
notched  all  the  logs  that  were  needed  for  the  trap. 
Then  a  stout  rope,  which  Don  had  been  thoughtful 
enough  to  put  into  the  boat,  was  brought  into  requi- 
sition, and  the  work  of  hauling  in  the  logs  began. 
As  fast  as  they  were  placed  in  position,  Don  fastened 
them  down  with  the  pins  he  and  his  brother  had 
made  the  night  before,  and  when  lunch  time  came, 
a  neat  log  cabin  about  six  feet  square  was  standing 
in  front  of  Godfrey's  lean-to.  With  a  little  "  chink- 
ing" and  the  addition  of  a  door  and  perhaps  a  win- 
dow, it  would  have  made  a  much  more  comfortable 
place  of  abode  than  the  miserable  bark  structure 
which  Godfrey  had  so  long  occupied. 
12 


178  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

Their  hard  work  had  given  the  boys  glorious  ap- 
petites, and  they  did  full  justice  to  the  good  things 
Mrs.  Gordon  had  put  up  for  them.  Don  said  their 
lunch  might  have  been  much  improved  by  the  ad- 
dition of  one  of  the  ducks  Bert  had  shot  that  morn- 
ing, but  their  time  was  much  too  precious  to  be 
wasted  in  cooking.  The  hardest  part  of  their  task 
was  yet  to  be  done,  and  that  was  to  build  a  movable 
roof  for  their  cabin.  Don,  who  had  received  explicit 
instructions  from  his  father  the  night  before,  super- 
intended this  work,  and  by  the  middle  of  the  after- 
noon the  trap  was  completed  and  set,  ready  for  the 
bear's  reception. 

It  looked,  as  we  have  said,  like  a  little  log 
cabin  with  a  flat  roof.  One  end  of  the  roof  rested 
on  the  rear  wall  of  the  trap,  while  the  other  was 
raised  in  the  air,  leaving  an  opening  sufficiently 
large  to  admit  of  the  entrance  of  any  bear  that  was 
likely  to  come  that  way.  The  roof  was  held  in 
this  position  by  a  stout  lever,  which  rested  across 
the  limb  of  a  convenient  tree.  A  rope  led  from  the 
other  end  of  the  lever,  down  through  a  hole  in  the 
roof,  to  the  trigger,  to  which  the  bait — an  ear 
of  corn — was  attached.  The  bear  was  expected  to 
crawl  through  the  opening  and  seize  the  ear  of 


THE   BOY  TRAPPER.  179 

corn  ;  and  in  so  doing,  he  would  spring  the  trigger, 
release  the  lever  and  the  roof  would  fall  down  and 
fasten  him  in  the  pen.  When  all  the  finishing 
touches  had  been  put  on,  the  boys  leaned  on  their 
axes  and  admired  their  work. 


180  THE   BOY   TEAPPER. 


CHAPTER  XL 

TRAPPING    QUAILS. 

"VTOW,  I  call  that  a  pretty  good  job  for  a  first 
attempt,"  said  Don;  "and  considering  the 
work  we  have  had  to  do,  it  hasn't  taken  us  a  great 
while  either.  I  wish  I  dare  crawl  in  there  and  set  it 
off,  just  to  be  sure  that  it  will  work  all  right." 

"  But  that  wouldn't  be  a  very  bright  proceeding," 
replied  Bert.  "  We  could  never  get  you  out.  You 
would  be  as  securely  confined  as  you  were  when  you 
were  tied  up  in  the  potato-cellar." 

Don  was  well  aware  of  that  fact.  The  roof  was 
made  of  logs  as  heavy  as  they  could  manage  with 
their  united  strength,  and  there  were  other  logs 
placed  upon  it  in  such  a  position  that  when  the  roof 
fell,  their  weight  wrould  assist  in  holding  it  down. 
All  these  precautions  were  necessary,  for  a  bear  can 
exert  tremendous  strength  if  he  once  makes  up  his 
mind  to  do  it,  and  David  had  repeatedly  declared  that 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  181 

if  they  should  chance  to  capture  an  animal  as  large 
as  the  one  that  had  been  killed  on  that  very  island 
years  before,  the  pen  would  not  prove  half  strong 
enough  to  hold  him.  But  it  was  quite  strong  enough 
to  hold  Don  if  he  got  into  it,  and  the  only  way  his 
companions  could  have  released  him  would  have  been 
by  cutting  the  roof  in  pieces  with  their  axes. 

The  work  was  all  done  now,  and  the  boys  were 
ready  to  start  for  home.  While  Bert  and  David 
were  gathering  up  the  tools  and  stowing  them  away 
in  the  canoe,  Don  scattered  a  few  ears  of  corn  around, 
so  that  the  bear  would  be  sure  to  find  them  the  next 
time  he  visited  the  island,  and  threw  a  dozen  or  so 
more  into  the  trap  close  about  the  trigger.  The  rest 
of  the  corn  he  hung  up  out  of  reach  on  a  sapling 
which  he  knew  was  too  small  for  the  bear  to  climb. 

Assisted  by  the  current  the  canoe  made  good  time 
down  the  bayou.  Bert  and  David  lay  back  in  the 
stern-sheets  and  said  they  were  tired,  while  Don, 
who  was  seated  at  the  oars,  declared  that  his  day's 
work  had  relieved  his  stiff  joints,  and  that  he  began 
to  feel  like  himself  again.  He  was  fresh  enough  to 
assist  in  building  another  trap  without  an  hour's 
rest ;  and  in  order  to  work  off  a  little  of  his  surplus 
energy,  he  thought  when  he  reached  home  he  would 


182  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

take  a  turn  through  the  fields  in  company  with  his 
pointer,  and  see  if  he  could  bag  quails  enough  for 
his  next  morning's  breakfast.  Bert  said  he  would 
go  with  him,  for  he  wanted  to  see  the  pointer  work. 

In  about  three  quarters  of  an  hour  the  canoe  en- 
tered the  lake  and  drew  up  to  the  bank  in  front  of 
Godfrey's  cabin.  David  sprang  out,  and  after  plac- 
ing his  gun  upon  the  bench  in  front  of  the  door, 
went  behind  the  building  to  unchain  the  pointer. 
He  was  gone  a  long  time — so  long  that  Don  and 
Bert,  who  were  sitting  in  the  canoe  waiting  for  him, 
began  to  grow  impatient — and  when  he  came  back 
he  did  not  bring  the  pointer  with  him.  He  brought 
instead  a  chain  and  a  collar.  His  face  told  the 
brothers  that  he  had  made  a  most  unwelcome  dis- 
covery. 

"  Where's  the  dog?"  asked  Bert. 

"  I  don't  know,"  answered  David,  looking  up  and 
down  the  road.  "  He  must  have  slipped  the  collar 
over  his  head  and  gone  off;  but  I  never  knew  him 
to  do  it  before." 

"Well,  you  needn't  look  so  sober  about  it,"  said 
Don.  "  He  isn't  far  away.  I'll  warrant  I  can 
bring  him  back." 

Don  set  up  a  whistle  that  could  have  been  heard 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  183 

for  half  a  mile.  Indeed  it  was  heard  and  recognised 
at  a  greater  distance  than  that.  An  answering  yelp 
came  from  the  direction  of  his  father's  house,  but  it 
was  not  given  by  the  dog  Don  wanted  to  see  just 
then.  It  was  uttered  by  one  of  the  hounds  which 
had  been  shut  up  in  the  barn  when  Don  went  away 
that  morning,  and  afterward  released  by  the  hostler. 
The  others  answered  in  chorus,  and  half  a  dozen  fleet 
animals  were  seen  coming  down  the  road  at  the  top 
of  their  speed.  But  the  pointer  was  not  with  them. 

"  It's  likely  we  shall  find  him  at  the  house,"  said 
Bert,  who  wanted  to  say  something  encouraging  for 
David's  benefit. 

"I  don't  doubt  it,"  returned  Don.  "If  he's 
there,  Dave,  we'll  take  a  short  hunt  with  him  and 
bring  him  down  in  the  morning." 

"If  you  don't  care  I'll  go  up  with  you,"  said 
David.  "  It  would  be  a  great  relief  to  me  to  know 
that  he  is  safe." 

"  All  right.     Jump  aboard." 

David  got  into  the  canoe  again  and  Don  pulled 
up  the  lake  toward  the  wharf.  When  they  reached 
it  the  boat  was  made  fast  to  the  tree  again,  and  the 
three  boys  started  for  the  house.  Don  at  once  began 
making  inquiries  concerning  his  pointer,  but  no  one 


184  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

had  seen  him,  arid  his  loud  and  continued  whistling 
brought  only  the  hounds,  which  snuffed  at  the  guns 
and  yelped  and  jumped  about  as  if  trying  to  make 
their  master  understand  that  they  were  there,  and 
ready  for  anything  he  might  want  them  to  do. 

"  Never  mind,"  said  Don,  who  did  not  seem  to 
feel  half  as  bad  as  David  did ;  "  dogs  of  his  breed 
never  stray  far  away,  and  he'll  be  at  your  house  or 
ours  before  morning,  you  may  depend  upon  it. 
Good-by  now,  and  don't  forget  to  be  on  hand  at  an 
early  hour.  We  must  set  to  work  upon  those  traps 
without  any  more  delay." 

David  reluctantly  turned  his  face  toward  home, 
and  Don  and  Bert  went  into  the  house.  "  I  didn't 
tell  him  just  what  I  think  about  the  matter,  for  he 
feels  badly  enough  already,"  said  Don,  when  he  and 
his  brother  were  in  their  room,  dressing  for  supper. 
"  There's  an  awful  thief  about  here,  and  it  wouldn't 
surprise  me  at  all  to  know  that  the  pointer  has  gone 
where  our  canoe  went." 

"  Do  you  know  that  that  thought  has  been  in  my 
mind  all  the  while  ?"  returned  Bert.  "  Who  is  the 
thief?" 

"  I  give  it  up.  If  he  lives  about  here  he's  foolish 
to  steal  my  dog,  for  he  never  can  use  him  in  hunting. 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  185 

There  isn't  a  man  or  boy  in  the  settlement  but  would 
recognise  him  the  moment  he  saw  him." 

"  Perhaps  he  was  stolen  in  the  hope  that  a  reward 
would  be  offered  for  his  return,"  suggested  Bert. 

"  Well,  there's  something  in  that.  But  after  all," 
added  Don,  a  few  minutes  later,  "  there  isn't  so 
much  in  it,  for  how  could  the  thief  return  the  dog 
without  making  himself  known  ?  Still  I  hope  it  is 
8O — that  is,  if  the  dog  was  stolen — for  rather  than 
lose  him,  I'll  give  ten  dollars  to  anybody  who  will 
bring  him  back  to  me,  and  ask  no  questions.  If  I 
have  to  do  that  it  will  ruin  me,  for  it  will  take  my 
last  cent." 

The  ringing  of  the  supper  bell  put  a  stop  to  their 
conversation  for  the  time  being,  but  it  was  resumed 
as  soon  as  the  family  were  gathered  about  the  table. 
Various  explanations  were  offered  for  the  pointer's 
absence,  and  when  that  matter  had  been  talked  over, 
the  events  of  the  day  were  brought  up  for  discussion. 
Bert  acted  as  spokesman,  and  when  he  told  how  the 
hounds  had  driven  the  bear  from  his  den  and  forced 
him  to  swim  the  bayou,  Don  was  surprised  to  see 
that  his  father  smiled  as  if  he  did  not  quite  believe 
it.  "  It's  the  truth,  every  word  of  it,"  said  Don, 
almost  indignantly. 


186  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

"  0,  I  don't  doubt  that  you  found  something  on 
the  island  and  drove  it  off,"  replied  the  General, 
"but  I  don't  think  it  was  a  bear." 

"What  was  it?"  asked  Don. 

"  It  was  something  you  will  not  be  likely  to  catch 
in  your  trap.  It  was  Godfrey  Evans." 

Don  dropped  his  knife  and  fork,  and  settled  back 
in  his  chair.  "  We  saw  tracks  in  the  mud  that  did 
not  look  to  me  like  bear  tracks,  that's  a  fact,"  said 
he.  "  If  that  was  Godfrey,  he's  the  one  who  stole 
our  canoe." 

"  Then  we  have  had  all  our  trouble  for  nothing," 
said  Bert. 

"  Perhaps  not,"  replied  his  father.  "  The  island 
has  been  much  frequented  by  bears  ever  since  I  can 
remember,  and  it  may  be  that  your  labor  will  be 
rewarded  in  a  day  or  two.  It  might  be  well  for  you 
to  watch  your  trap  at  any  rate.  If  you  should 
happen  to  catch  a  young  bear,  that  you  could  bring 
home  alive,  Silas  Jones  would  give  you  twenty  dol- 
lars for  it.  That  would  be  a  big  addition  to  David's 
little  capital,  for  of  course  you  wouldn't  want  any  of 
the  money." 

"  Of  course  not.  All  we  want  is  the  fun  of 
catching  the  bear." 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  187 

Don  and  Bert  were  up  the  next  morning  before  the 
sun,  as  they  always  were,  and  as  soon  as  they  were 
dressed,  they  went  out  to  the  shop  and  found  David 
there  busy  with  his  traps.  He  knew  where  the  key 
was  kept,  under  the  door-step,  and  at  the  first  peep 
of  day  he  had  let  himself  in  and  gone  to  work. 
Of  course  the  first  questions  that  were  asked  and 
answered  were  in  regard  to  the  missing  pointer,  but 
no  one  had  seen  or  heard  anything  of  him.  David 
seemed  to  take  the  loss  very  much  to  heart.  The 
animal  was  a  valuable  one,  and  he  felt  that  he  was 
in  some  degree  responsible  for  his  safe-keeping. 

Three  pairs  of  willing  hands  made  light  work, 
and  by  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  a  dozen  traps 
were  completed  and  ready  for  setting.  The  boys 
then  stopped  long  enough  to  take  a  hasty  lunch, 
which  they  ate  in  the  shop,  in  order  to  save  time, 
and  after  that  one  of  the  mules  was  hitched  to  a 
wagon  and  brought  before  the  door.  The  traps,  a 
basket  containing  the  "figure  fours,"  with  which 
they  were  to  be  set,  a  bag  of  corn  for  bait,  an  axe, 
with  which  to  clear  away  the  underbrush,  and  a 
spade  to  dig  the  trenches,  having  been  packed  away 
in  the  vehicle,  the  boys  got  in  and  drove  off.  They 
directed  their  course  along  the  fence,  which  ran 


188  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

around  the  plantation,  and  wherever  they  found  a 
clump  of  bushes  or  a  little  thicket  of  briers  and 
cane,  there  they  stopped  long  enough  to  set  one  of 
their  traps. 

The  traps  were  made  of  slats  split  from  oak 
boards,  and  were  a  little  less  than  four  feet  square 
and  a  little  more  than  a  foot  in  height.  In  the 
top  was  a  slide  covering  a  hole  large  enough  to  ad- 
mit one's  arm,  and  it  was  through  this  hole  that  the 
captured  birds  were  to  be  taken  out.  The  under- 
growth was  first  cut  away  with  the  axe  and  the  trap 
put  down  in  the  clear  space,  a  narrow  board  being 
placed  under  two  sides  of  it,  to  give  it  a  solid  foun- 
dation. A  trench  just  large  enough  to  admit  a 
single  quail  was  dug  under  each  of  these  boards, 
one  end  of  the  trench  being  on  the  outside  of  the 
trap  and  the  other  on  the  inside.  A  small  ear  of 
corn  was  tied  firmly  to  the  trigger,  the  trap  set  with 
the  "  figure  four,"  a  few  kernels  were  scattered 
about  in  the  immediate  neighborhood,  and  the  trap 
was  ready  for  the  first  flock  of  quails  that  might 
come  that  way.  When  they  came,  they  would,  of 
course,  find  the  corn,  and  while  they  were  eating  it 
they  would  be  sure  to  find  the  trap.  One  or  more 
of  them  would  go  in  and  spring  it  by  pecking  at 


THE   BOY  TRAPPER.  189 

the  ear  that  was  tied  to  the  trigger,  and  the  others, 
no  matter  if  there  were  a  hundred  in  the  flock, 
would  all  go  in  to  him  through  the  trenches  before 
spoken  of.  After  they  had  eaten  the  corn,  they 
would  look  up  instead  of  down  for  a  way  of  escape, 
and,  although  the  trenches  at  which  they  came  in 
were  still  open  to  them,  they  would  not  know  enough 
to  make  use  of  them.  If  the  trap  was  once  sprung, 
the  capture  of  the  entire  flock  was  certain,  provided 
those  outside  were  not  frightened  away  before  they 
had  time  to  go  in  to  their  imprisoned  companions. 

In  two  hours'  time  the  traps  had  all  been  set  and 
the  boys  were  at  home  again.  They  had  done  a 
good  day's  work,  but  they  wanted  to  do  a  better ;  so 
as  soon  as  the  mule  was  unharnessed  and  the  wagon 
put  under  the  shed  where  it  belonged,  they  set  to 
work  in  the  shop  again,  and  before  dark  a  large  coop, 
which  would  just  fit  into  the  wagon  box,  was  com- 
pleted. This  was  to  be  used  to  bring  home  the  cap- 
tured quails.  After  that  one  of  the  unoccupied 
negro  cabins  was  selected  to  confine  the  birds  in 
until  the  required  number  had  been  trapped.  It 
received  a  thorough  sweeping,  the  floor  was  covered 
with  clean  sand,  and  the  broken  window  was  boarded 
up  so  that  the  captives  could  not  escape.  When  this 


190  THE    BOY    TRAPPER. 

was  done  David  started  for  home,  and  Don  and  Bert 
went  into  the  house  to  get  ready  for  supper. 

The  next  day  was  spent  much  as  the  preceding 
one  had  been  spent.  At  eleven  o'clock  seven  more 
traps  were  ready  for  the  field.  Then  the  mule  and 
wagon  were  brought  into  use  again,  and  the  new 
traps  were  distributed  along  the  fence.  When  the 
boys  came  back  they  took  time  to  eat  lunch,  after 
which  the  coop  was  put  into  the  wagon,  and  they  set 
out  to  visit  the  traps  they  had  set  the  day  before. 

"  There's  nothing  here,"  said  Bert,  as  he  drew 
rein  in  front  of  the  thicket  in  which  the  first  trap 
was  located.  He  could  not  see  the  trap,  but  his  ears 
told  him  all  he  wanted  to  know.  If  there  had  been 
any  quails  in  it  they  would  have  uttered  their  notes 
of  alarm  as  soon  as  they  heard  the  wagon  coming. 

"No,  there's  nothing  here  !"  said  Don,  after  list- 
ening a  moment.  "  I'll  scatter  a  little  more  corn 
about  and  make  sure  that  the  trap  is  all  right." 

He  got  out  of  the  wagon  as  he  spoke,  and  while 
he  was  working  his  way  into  the  thicket  he  flushed 
a  blue-jay,  which  flew  into  a  tree  close  by  and  scolded 
him  with  all  its  might.  Don  shied  a  stick  at  it  and 
kept  on  to  the  trap.  It  was  down,  and  there  was 
something  in  it  which  fluttered  its  wings  against  the 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  191 

bars  and  made  the  most  frantic  efforts  to  escape. 
Don  knew  it  was  not  a  quail,  so  he  did  not  stop  to 
see  what  it  was.  He  threw  back  the  slide,  thrust 
his  hand  into  the  opening  and  when  he  clutched  the 
bird  received  a  severe  bite  from  it.  "  I  have  half  a 
mind  to  wring  your  little  neck  for  you,"  thought 
Don,  as  he  brought  the  fluttering  captive,  a  beautiful 
red-bird,  into  view.  "  Not  because  you  have  bitten 
me,  but  because  you  will  make  it  your  business  to 
come  here  and  spring  this  trap  every  day.  Red- 
birds  and  blue-jays  are  perfect  nuisances  when  a  fel- 
low is  trapping,  and  I  wouldn't  blame  Dave  for 
shooting  every  one  he  sees." 

But  Don  did  not  injure  the  bird.  He  was  a 
sportsman,  and  never  made  war  on  game  of  this  sort. 
He  tossed  the  captive  into  the  air  and  it  flew  away 
out  of  sight. 

Having  set  the  trap  again  and  scattered  a  little 
more  corn  about  to  replace  that  which  had  been 
picked  up  by  the  birds,  Don  went  back  to  the  wagon 
and  Bert  drove  on  down  the  field.  They  found  the 
second  trap  thrown,  and  the  marks  of  little  teeth  on. 
the  ear  of  corn  that  was  tied  to  the  trigger  showed 
that  a  ground  squirrel  had  been  at  work.  The  third 
trap  was  also  sprung,  and  the  shrill,  piping  notes  of 


192  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

alarm  which  came  to  their  ears  when  Bert  stopped 
the  wagon,  told  them  that  they  had  made  their  first 
capture.  Jumping  quickly  out  of  the  wagon  the 
boys  made  their  way  into  the  bushes,  and  when  they 
came  within  sight  of  the  trap  they  found  that  it  was 
so  full  that  the  little  prisoners  had  scarcely  room  to 
turn  about. 

"  Here's  the  first  instalment  of  your  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars,  Dave,"  cried  Don.  "We've  got  more 
than  a  dozen,  I  know  !" 

Having  stopped  up  the  ends  of  the  trenches  so 
that  the  quails  could  not  escape,  Don  thrust  his  arm 
through  the  opening  in  the  top  of  the  trap  and  began 
passing  out  the  birds  to  his  brother  and  David,  who 
carried  them  to  the  wagon  and  put  them  into  the 
coop.  He  counted  them  as  he  took  them  out,  and 
found  that  there  were  nearer  two  dozen  than  one, 
twenty  being  the  exact  number.  One,  however,  es- 
caped from  Bert,  who,  through  fear  of  injuring  it, 
handled  it  too  tenderly. 

"Never  mind,"  said  Don,  when  his  brother  told 
him  of  the  loss.  "  He'll  go  off  and  join  some  other 
flock,  so  we  are  bound  to  catch  him  anyhow.  I  call 
^his  a  good  beginning,  don't  you,  Dave  ?  It  looks 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  193 

now  as  though  you  were  going  to  earn  your  money 
in  spite  of  Lester  and  Dan." 

After  re-setting  the  trap  the  boys  got  into  the 
wagon  and  drove  on.  They  found  some  of  their 
traps  just  as  they  had  left  them ;  a  few  had  been 
thrown  by  ground  squirrels  or  red-birds  ;  and  from 
the  others  they  took  enough  quails  to  make  their 
day's  catch  amount  to  a  little  over  four  dozen.  These 
were  all  safely  transferred  to  the  cabin,  the  mule  was 
unharnessed  and  the  young  trappers,  greatly  encour- 
aged by  their  success,  replenished  the  fire  in  the  shop, 
for  the  day  was  raw  and  chilly,  and  went  to  work  to 
build  more  traps. 


194  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

WHERE   THE    POINTER   WAS. 

S,  sar,  I'm  goin'  to  raise  a  furse  here  now, 
an'  I  won't  be  long  about  it,  nuther.  They 
think  I  don't  amount  to  nothin'  in  this  yere  house, 
but  I'll  show  'em  that  I  do.  Pap  bein'  away,  I  hud 
oughter  be  the  man  of  the  family,  an'  that  leetle 
Dave  shan't  crowd  me  outen  the  place,  nuther. 
When  he  comes  back  to-night  his  eyes'll  stick  out  so't 
a  feller  could  hang  his  hat  onto  'em.  You  hear  me  ?" 

This  was  the  way  Dan  Evans  talked  to  himself,  as 
he  sat  on  the  bench  in  front  of  the  door,  gazing 
after  his  mother  and  David,  as  they  walked  doAvn  the 
road  toward  General  Gordon's.  He  was  greatly 
enraged  over  his  failure  to  steal  his  brother's  ten 
dollars,  and  really  thought  David  had  been  guilty 
of  a  mean  piece  of  business  in  putting  his  money 
where  it  would  be  safe. 

"  He  hain't  went  off  with  that  thar  shootin'-iron 
on  his  shoulder  fur  nothin',"  thought  Dan.  "  He's 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  195 

goin'  huntin'  with  them  Gordon  fellers,  and  he'll 
have  a  nice  time  an'  get  somethin'  good  to  eat, 
•while  I  must  go  without  my  dinner,  dog-gone  it, 
kase  thar  hain't  nobody  here  to  cook  it  fur  me. 
They  don't  take  half  so  much  notice  of  me  as  they 
would  if  I  was  a  pinter  dog  !" 

Dan  sat  on  the  bench  for  half  an  hour  or  more, 
now  and  then  looking  down  the  road  as  if  he  were 
waiting  for  something,  and  all  the  while  his  mind 
was  occupied  with  such  thoughts  as  these.  At  last 
the  sight  of  Don  Gordon's  canoe,  which  suddenly 
appeared  in  the  lake,  brought  him  to  his  feet  and 
sent  him  behind  the  cabin  in  great  haste.  It  did 
more.  It  recalled  to  him  the  fact  that  his  father 
hed  told  him  to  steal  that  same  canoe  and  bring  it 
to  Bruin's  Island,  together  with  several  necessary 
articles  that  were  to  be  purchased  at  Silas  Jones's 
store.  Dan  had  not  once  thought  of  this  since  he 
saw  David  at  the  landing  with  ten  dollars  in  his 
hand,  and  heard  the  grocer  tell  him  that  his  credit 
was  good  for  six  months ;  but  he  thought  of  it  the 
moment  he  saw  the  canoe  with  the  hounds  curled 
up  in  the  bow.  His  eyes  were  sharp  enough  to  see 
that  Don  carried  his  rifle  in  his  hands,  and  that  a 
heavy  shot-gun,  which  Dan  knew  belonged  to  General 


196  THE    BOY   TRAPPEB. 

Gordon,  leaned  over  Bert's  shoulder.  Godfrey's 
prediction  was  about  to  be  fulfilled.  Don  was  going 
back  to  the  island  to  shoot  the  bear  which  had 
frightened  him  and  his  brother  the  day  before.  The 
thought  made  Dan  almost  frantic.  He  jumped  up 
and  knocked  his  heels  together,  slapped  his  hands, 
dashed  his  hat  upon  the  ground  and  made  other 
demonstrations  indicative  of  a  very  perturbed  state 
of  mind. 

"  Pap's  in  fur  it  now,  an'  so  am  I,"  said  he,  in  an 
excited  whisper.  "  He'll  get  his  jacket  wet  swim- 
min'  the  bayou  to  get  away  from  them  fellers,  if 
they  give  him  the  chance,  an'  I'll  get  mine  dusted 
with  a  hickory,  kase  I  didn't  fetch  that  canoe  up 
thar.  I  jest  wish  I  knowed  what  to  do." 

Dan,  almost  ready  to  cry  with  vexation  and  alarm, 
watched  the  canoe  until  it  turned  into  the  bayou 
and  passed  out  of  his  sight,  and  then  went  back  to 
the  bench  and  sat  down  to  think  about  this  new 
difficulty  in  which  he  found  himself,  and  to  find  a 
way  out  of  it  if  he  could.  His  father  would  be 
compelled  to  hunt  up  a  new  hiding-place  now — 
there  was  no  way  to  prevent  that — and  in  order  to 
leave  the  island  he  would  probably  be  forced  to 
swim  the  bayou,  for  he  would  have  no  time  to  build 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  19T 

a  raft.  That  would,  of  course,  make  him  angry, 
and  he  never  could  breathe  easily  again  until  he 
had  taken  satisfaction  out  of  somebody.  That  some- 
body Dan  knew  was  certain  to  be  himself,  unless — 

"I'll  fix  him,"  thought  the  boy,  his  face  clearing 
up,  as  a  bright  idea  came  into  his  mind.  "  I'll  take 
him  the  pinter.  I  was  goin'  to  hide  him  in  the 
woods  somewhar,  but  pap  kin  take  keer  on  him  as 
well  as  not.  Don'll  pay  a  dollar  or  two  to  get  him 
back,  an'  I'll  give  the  ole  man  half.  But  fust,  I 
must  go  down  to  the  landin'  an'  buy  them  shoes  an' 
tobacker ;  an'  while  I'm  thar,  I'll  jest  say  a  good 
word  to  Silas  fur  myself.  I'm  a  nobody  about  this 
yere  house,  am  I  ?  Dave  wouldn't  give  me  them 
ten  dollars  to  keep  fur  him,  an'  now  I'll  take  some- 
thin'  outen  his  pocket  without  sayin'  a  word  to 
him." 

Dan  shook  his  head  in  a  very  wise  and  knowing 
manner,  and  went  into  the  house  after  his  rifle.  He 
did  not  take  it  because  he  expected  to  find  any  game 
while  he  was  on  the  way  to  the  landing,  but  because 
he  had  fallen  into  the  habit  of  carrying  it  with  him 
everywhere  he  went  and  felt  lonely  without  it. 

Knowing  that  Don  and  Bert  were  not  at  home, 
Dan  did  not  go  around  through  the  fields  to  avoid 


198  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

the  General's  barn,  as  he  usually  did,  but  boldly 
followed  the  road.  There  were  a  few  idle  men  hang- 
ing about  the  store,  as  there  almost  always  were,  but 
none  of  them  appeared  to  be  doing  any  trading,  and 
the  grocer  was  ready  to  attend  to  Dan's  wants  at 
once.  The  boy  bought  the  articles  his  father  wanted, 
and  having  pocketed  his  change,  cleared  his  throat, 
preparatory  to  saying  a  good  word  for  himself. 

"  Mr.  Jones,  if  you  please,  sar,  Dave  done  sent 
me  down  here  this  mornin'  to  ax  you  would  you  give 
me  somethin'  fur  myself,  if  you  please,  sar — some 
shoes  an'  sich  like." 

"  Certainly,"  replied  the  grocer,  readily,  and  Dan 
was  surprised  to  see  that  he  held  out  his  hand  as  if 
he  expected  to  receive  something. 

"  I  hain't  got  no  money,"  said  Dan. 

"  That  makes  no  difference.  I  don't  want  any 
money  from  David." 

"  Then  I'll  take  a  pair  of  them  amazin'  fine-look- 
in'  shoes  of  your'n — number  nines,  please,  sar." 

"  All  right.     Hand  out  the  order." 

O 

"  Sar  !"  exclaimed  Dan,  opening  his  eyes. 

"  Why,  if  David  doesn't  come  here  himself  and 
tell  me  to  give  you  the  things,  he  must  send  a 
written  order." 


THE   BOY   TRAPPEK.  199 

"  Dave,  he  done  told  me  to  git  'em,"  faltered  Dan. 

"  I  don't  doubt  it ;  but  in  order  to  have  things 
straight,  you  go  home  and  get  an  order  for  such 
things  as  you  want  and  I'll  give  them  to  you." 

Dan  gathered  the  articles  which  he  had  purchased 
for  his  father  under  one  arm,  took  his  rifle  under 
the  other,  backed  slowly  away  from  the  counter  and 
went  out  of  the  store.  He  wasn't  quite  so  smart  as 
he  thought  he  was.  His  shoes  and  stockings,  and 
the  ammunition  for  his  rifle,  which  he  thought  he 
was  going  to  get  for  nothing,  were  likely  to  cost  him 
something  after  all.  It  was  an  easy  matter  to  cheat 
confiding  fellows  like  Don  and  Bert,  who  were  much 
more  familiar  with  Greek  than  they  were  with  the 
way  business  was  conducted,  but  it  was  not  so  easy 
to  deceive  a  man  like  Silas  Jones.  Dan  was  sur- 
prised and  disappointed,  and  of  course  as  angry  as 
he  could  be.  He  walked  rapidly  along  the  road  with 
his  bundles  under  his  arm  and  his  rifle  on  his  shoul- 
der, and  it  was  not  until  he  reached  home  and  had 
sunned  himself  for  a  few  minutes  on  the  bench  in 
front  of  the  door,  that  he  cooled  down  so  that  he 
could  think  the  matter  over.  But  he  could  think 
to  no  purpose  even  then ;  and  after  resting  a  few 
minutes  longer,  he  arose  and  went  into  the  cabin. 


200  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

He  walked  straight  to  the  "  shake-down"  which  he 
and  his  brother  occupied,  and  drew  from  under  the 
head  of  it  a  piece  of  rope  he  had  placed  there  the 
night  before.  With  this  in  his  hand  he  came  out 
again,  and  after  looking  up  and  down  the  road,  to 
make  sure  that  there  was  no  one  in  sight,  he  went 
around  the  building  to  the  kennel  where  Don's 
pointer  was  confined.  The  animal  came  out  to  meet 
him,  and  Dan  did  not  send  him  back  with  a  kick, 
as  he  usually  did.  He  took  off  his  collar,  and  hav- 
ing tied  the  rope  about  his  neck,  buckled  the  collar 
again  and  threw  it  on  the  ground,  hoping  in  this 
way  to  give  David  the  impression  that  his  charge 
had  liberated  himself.  He  then  led  the  dog  to  the 
high  rail  fence  which  surrounded  the  lot,  assisted 
him  to  climb  over  it,  and  left  him  there  in  the  bushes, 
while  he  returned  to  the  bench  after  his  rifle  and 
bundles.  These  secured,  he  climbed  the  fence  him- 
self, picked  up  the  rope  and  hurried  into  the  woods, 
the  pointer  trotting  along  contentedly  by  his  side. 

Dan  thought  he  knew  just  where  to  go  to  find  his 
father.  The  latter  would,  of  course,  be  on  the  look- 
out for  his  son,  and  it  was  reasonable  to  suppose  that 
he  would  remain  somewhere  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
island ;  so  Dan  followed  the  course  of  the  bayou, 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  201 

taking  care  to  keep  so  far  away  from  it  that  he  would 
not  be  discovered  by  any  one  who  might  chance  to 
be  passing  in  a  boat,  and  when  he  had  approached 
close  enough  to  the  island  to  hear  the  voices  of  the 
young  hunters  and  the  sound  of  their  axes,  he  tied 
the  pointer  to  a  tree,  deposited  his  bundles  on  the 
ground  near  by,  and  with  his  rifle  for  a  companion 
crept  through  the  bushes  to  see  what  they  were 
doing. 

There  was  no  one  in  sight  when  he  first  reached 
the  bank  of  the  bayou,  but  in  a  few  minutes  Bert 
and  David  came  out  of  the  cane  with  a  rope  in  their 
hands.  There  were  several  logs  scattered  about  the 
beach,  and  David  made  the  rope  fast  to  one  of  them 
and  he  and  Bert  dragged  it  into  the  cane.  While 
Dan  was  wondering  what  they  were  going  to  do  with 
the  log  a  twig  snapped  near  him,  and  he  turned 
quickly  to  find  his  father  almost  within  reach  of 
him. 

"Halloo,  pap  !"  said  Dan,  jumping  to  his  feet  and 
backing  into  the  bushes. 

"  Whar's  the  tobacker?"  demanded  Godfrey,  in  a 
subdued  tone  of  voice. 

"  I've  got  it.     You  ain't  mad,  be  you,  pap  ?" 

"  I  ain't  so  scandalous  mad  now,  but  if  I  could 


202  THE    BOY    TRAPPER. 

have  got  my  fingers  into  your  collar  about  the  time 
I  was  a  shiverin'  in  my  wet  clothes,  I'd  a  played 
1  Far'well  to  the  Star  Spangled  Banner'  on  your 
back  with  a  good  hickory,  I  bet  you  !" 

"  'Kase  if  you  be  mad  'tain't  my  fault,"  continued 
Dan.  "  I  tried  my  level  best  to  steal  the  canoe, 
but  couldn't  do  it.  It  was  locked  up  tighter'n  a  brick. 
I  tried  to  get  ten  dollars  fur  you  too,  pap,  but  I 
couldn't  do  that  nuther ;  so  I  brung  Don  Gordon's 
pinter  along.  Swum  the  bayou,  I  reckon,  didn't 
you?" 

"  I  didn't  walk  acrosst,  did  I  ?  In  course  I  swum 
it." 

"  Your  clothes  ain't  wet !" 

"  No,  'kase  I  went  back  in  the  woods  an'  built  a 
fire  an'  dried  'em.  Le's  go  back  thar  now,  so't  we 
kin  talk.  We  don't  want  them  fellers  to  hear  us." 

"  What  be  they  doin'  over  thar,  anyhow?''  asked 
Dan. 

"  They're  buildin'  a  bar  trap,  looks  like.  They'll 
be  sartin  to  ketch  one  too,  'kase  thar's  a  bar  comes 
thar  a'most  every  night.  If  I  had  a  boat  they 
wouldn't  get  much  good  of  him  arter  they  do  ketch 
him." 

Dan  handed  his  rifle  to  his  father  and  went  back 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  203 

after  the  pointer  and  his  bundles ;  and  when  he  came 
up  again  Godfrey  led  the  way  toward  his  temporary 
camp.  He  was  gloomy  and  sullen,  and  there  was 
an  expression  on  his  face  which  Dan  did  not  like  to 
see  there,  for  it  made  him  fear  that  a  storm  was  brew- 
ing. But  after  they  had  been  a  few  minutes  in  the 
camp,  and  Godfrey  had  filled  his  pipe  and  smoked  a 
whiff  or  two,  the  scowl  faded  away  and  Dan  began 
to  breathe  easier. 

"  I've  put  you  in  the  way  to  make  a  dollar,  pap," 
said  he,  as  soon  as  the  soothing  effects  of  the  tobacco 
began  to  be  perceptible.  "  If  you'll  take  that  pinter 
an'  keep  him  till  I  call  fur  him,  I'll  give  you  half  of 
what  Don  pays  me  to  get  him  back." 

"  I  seed  you  bringin'  the  dog  an'  I  knowed  what 
you  was  up  to,"  replied  his  father.  "  But  Don  don't 
get  him  back  fur  no  dollar,  I  tell  you.  That  animile 
is  wuth  fifty  dollars  anyhow,  an'  if  Don  wants  him 
agin  he'll  have  to  plank  down  five  dollars." 

"  Whew  !"  whistled  Dan.  "We're  gettin'  rich, 
ain't  we  ?  Now,  pap,  thar's  your  shoes  an'  stock- 
in's,  an'  thar's  the  change  Silas  give  me.  You  kin 
put  it  with  what  you've  got  left  of  your  twenty  dol- 
lars, an'  when 0,  laws  !" 

Dan  jumped  to  his  feet,  opened  his  mouth  and 


204  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

eyes  and  looked  at  his  father  in  the  greatest  aston- 
ishment. Something  he  had  said  seemed  to  produce 
a  wonderful  effect  upon  Godfrey.  His  pipe  dropped 
from  his  lips,  the  color  all  left  his  face  and  after  sit- 
ting silent  and  motionless  for  a  moment,  he  gave  ut- 
terance to  a  loud  yell,  sprang  to  his  feet  and  strode 
about  the  camp  as  if  he  were  almost  beside  himself. 

"What's  the  matter  of  you,  pap  ?''  Dan  ventured 
to  inquire,  as  soon  as  he  could  find  his  tongue. 

"I  hain't  got  no  money  at  all  no  more  !"  Godfrey 
almost  shouted.  "  That's  what's  the  matter  of  me. 
It's  over  thar  on  the  island  whar  them  fellers  is  !" 

"  No  !"  gasped  Dan. 

"But  I  say,  yes,  it  is  too!"  exclaimed  Godfrey. 
"You  see,"  he  added,  controlling  himself  with  a 
great  effort,  "  when  I  fust  seed  them  fellers  comin' 
up  the  bayou  the  sun  was  kinder  shinin'  on  the  water, 
an'  it  blinded  me  so't  I  thought  it  was  you.  I  was 
jest  goin'  to  speak,  when  I  seed  thar  was  three  fel- 
lers in  the  boat ;  an'  afore  I  could  ax  myself  what 
that  meant,  one  of  the  hounds  that  Don  had  with  him 
set  up  a  yelp.  I  knowed  that  meant  business,  an'  it 
skeared  me  so't  I  didn't  think  of  nothin'  only  how 
to  get  off 'n  that  thar  island  without  bein'  diskivered. 
I  got  off  all  right,  but  I  left  my  money  in  that  thar 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  205 

holler  log,  an'  I  never  thought  of  it  till  this  blessed 
minute." 

"Mebbe  they  won't  find  it,"  said  Dan. 

"Wai,  that's  a  comfortin'  thought,"  returned  his 
father,  sighing  heavily,  as  he  picked  up  his  pipe, 
"  but  luck's  agin  me.  It  allers  is.  Other  folks  can 
get  along  smooth  an'  easy,  but  I  can  toil  an'  slave 
an'  slave  an'  toil  till — jest  look  at  me,"  added  God- 
frey, rising  to  his  feet  again  and  turning  slowly  about, 
so  that  Dan  could  have  a  fair  view  of  him.  "  Ain't 
this  a  purty  fix  fur  a  man  to  be  in  who  owned  niggers 
an'  cotton  by  the  acre  only  a  little  while  ago  ?  That's 
jest  what  makes  me  'spise  them  Gordons." 

"  An'  that's  what  makes  me  'spise  that  Dave  of 
our'n,"  exclaimed  Dan.  "  He's  gettin'  richer  every 
day.  He's  got  ten  dollars  in  greenback  money  now, 
an'  I  done  heard  Silas  Jones  tell  him  that  his  credit 
was  good  at  the  store  for  six  months." 

Godfrey  opened  his  eyes  when  he  heard  this,  and 
so  interested  was  he  in  the  story  Dan  had  to  tell 
that  he  forgot  his  troubles  for  the  time  being.  .  He 
seated  himself  again,  and  while  he  was  refilling  his 
pipe  Dan  gave  him  a  history  of  what  had  happened 
at  the  store,  and  told  how  David  had  come  by  the 
ten  dollars.  He  also  described  the  manner  in  which 


206  .THE    BOY   TRAPPEE. 

lie  had  tried  to  obtain  possession  of  it,  and  told  how 
he  had  failed  in  his  attempt  to  induce  Silas  to  give 
him  a  pair  of  shoes  on  the  strength  of  David's  credit. 
This  led  to  a  long  discussion  between  the  father  and 
son,  during  which  various  plans  were  laid  and  one 
or  two  things  determined  upon  which  will  probably 
be  revealed  in  due  time.  Dan  paid  strict  attention 
to  all  his  father  said,  but  he  was  glad  when  the  inter- 
view was  over.  Godfrey  was  almost  beside  himself 
with  fury.  Having  been  unfortunate  himself  he  was 
enraged  to  learn  that  anybody  else  was  prosperous ; 
and  when  he  heard  of  David's  good  luck  he  looked 
and  acted  so  savagely  that  Dan  began  to  fear  for  his 
own  personal  safety.  He  started  for  home  as  soon 
as  he  could  find  an  excuse  for  so  doing,  and  it  was 
not  until  he  was  out  of  sight  and  hearing  of  his 
father's  camp  that  he  began  to  breathe  easily. 

Dan  did  not  go  directly  home.  He  was  in  no 
hurry  to  meet  his  brother,  for  he  was  afraid  the 
latter  might  have  something  to  say  to  him  about  the 
pointer.  He  roamed  through  the  woods,  and  hav- 
ing shot  a  few  squirrels,  built  a  fire  and  roasted  and 
ate  them.  He  stayed  in  his  camp  until  the  sun 
went  down  and  it  began  to  grow  dark,  and  then 
shouldered  his  rifle  and  reluctantly  turned  his  face 


THE   BOY  TRAPPER.  207 

toward  the  cabin.  He  did  not  find  his  brother  there, 
but  he  came  in  shortly  afterward,  and  then  Dan 
found  that  he  had  been  borrowing  trouble,  for  David 
never  said  a  word  to  him  about  the  pointer.  He 
told  his  mother  of  the  loss,  and  of  course  she  sym- 
pathized with  him,  and  offered  every  explanation 
except  the  right  one.  The  thief  opened  his  eyes 
and  looked  surprised  while  they  were  talking,  but 
neither  of  them  paid  any  attention  to  him  ;  and  Dan, 
muttering  angrily  to  himself  that  he  was  nothing 
more  than  a  crooked  stick  about  that  house  any  way, 
undressed  and  went  to  bed. 

Dan  passed  the  next  day  in  his  usual  idle  and 
shiftless  manner.  He  saw  David  go  up  to  General 
Gordon's,  and  would  have  been  glad  to  know  what 
sort  of  work  he  was  doing  up  there,  and  how  much 
he  was  to  receive  for  it.  He  did  not  find  out  that 
day,  but  he  did  the  next,  and  the  discovery  made 
him  feel  like  a  new  boy. 

Growing  tired  of  staying  by  himself,  Dan  thought 
he  would  go  down  to  the  landing,  hoping  that  he 
would  find  a  shooting-match  going  on  there,  or  that 
a  steamer  would  come  in,  bringing  a  stranger  or  two 
for  him  to  stare  at.  The  weather  was  raw  and  chilly, 
too,  and  Dan's  bare  feet  were  blue  with  the  cold. 


208  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

He  must  have  a  pair  of  shoes  and  stockings  ;  and 
since  he  couldn't  get  them  in  any  other  way,  a  por- 
tion of  the  money  he  had  hidden  in  that  hollow  log 
in  the  woods  must  be  brought  into  use.  Dan  took 
out  the  necessary  amount,  and  groaned  when  he 
looked  at  the  small  sum  he  had  left. 

As  soon  as  the  sun  had  warmed  the  air  a  little, 
Dan  shouldered  his  rifle  and  set  out.  He  did  not 
follow  the  road,  as  he  did  before,  for  that  would  take 
him  past  the  General's  barn,  and  Don  and  Bert 
were  at  home  now.  He  went  around  through  the 
fields ;  and  it  was  while  he  was  sitting  on  a  log  near 
General  Gordon's  fence,  watching  the  only  squirrel 
he  had  seen  since  leaving  home,  that  he  accidentally 
learned  what  it  was  that  took  David  over  to  Don's 
house  so  regularly  every  morning,  and  kept  him 
there  all  day.  He  first  heard  the  creaking  of  wheels 
and  the  sound  of  voices,  and  they  came  from  the 
General's  field,  which  was  not  more  than  twenty 
feet  distant,  and  which  was  concealed  from  his  view 
by  the  thick  bushes  that  lined  the  fence.  Dan 
recognised  the  voices,  and  his  first  impulse  was  to 
jump  up  and  take  to  his  heels.  His  next  was  to 
stay  where  lie  was  until  the  wagon  passed  by,  and 
this  he  did  ;  for  he  was  in  an  excellent  hiding-place 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  209 

and  no  one  could  have  found  him  without  taking 
pains  to  look  for  him. 

The  wagon  came  nearer,  the  voices  grew  louder, 
and  presently  Dan  heard  the  shrill  notes  of  a  quail 
directly  in  front  of  him  and  just  on  the  other  side 
of  the  fence.  He  paid  no  attention  to  the  sound 
until  the  wagon  was  brought  to  a  stand-still  in  front 
of  the  thicket,  and  somebody,  after  working  his  way 
into  the  bushes,  called  out  in  a  cheery  voice : 

"  Here's  the  first  instalment  of  your  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars,  David  !" 

These  words  made  Dan  so  excited  that  he  almost 
betrayed  his  presence  by  letting  his  rifle  fall  out  of 
his  hands.  He  cautiously  raised  himself  to  a 
standing  position  on  the  log,  and  looking  through 
the  tops  of  the  bushes,  listened  intently  to  catch 
every  word  that  was  said. 


14 


210  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

TEN   DOLLARS    REWARD. 

~\T7"IIEN  the  quails  had  been  taken  out  of  the 
trap  and  put  into  the  coop,  the  wagon  drove 
on,  and  Dan  sat  down  on  his  log  to  think  about  what 
he  had  just  heard,  and  to  wait  until  the  coast  was 
clear,  so  that  he  could  resume  his  walk  toward  the 
landing.  He  had  learned  two  things.  One  was 
that  his  brother  had  not  given  up  the  idea  of  trapping 
the  quails,  as  he  had  supposed,  and  the  other  was 
that  there  was  somebody  besides  himself  whom  David 
had  reason  to  fear. 

"  Looks  now  as  though  you  were  goin'  to  'arn  your 
money  in  spite  of  Dan  and  Lester,"  thought  the 
listener,  recalling  the  last  words  he  had  heard  Don 
utter.  "  That  must  be  that  Brigham  boy  up  to  that 
big  white  house.  What's  he  got  to  say  'bout  it,  I'd 
like  to  know  ?  I'll  jest  keep  an  eye  on  him.  He 
don't  want  to  let  me  ketch  him  foolin'  round  them 
traps,  'kase  I'll  make  him  think  war  times  has  come 
back  sure  enough.  Now  that  I've  got  another  chance 


THE    BOY    TRAPPER.  211 

to  'arn  a  share  in  them  hundred  and  fifty  dollars, 
nobody  shan't  take  it  away  from  me." 

Dan  was  as  good  as  his  word.  He  kept  a  sharp 
watch  over  David's  interests,  and  perhaps  we  shall 
see  that  he  was  the  means  of  defeating  a  certain  plan, 
which,  if  it  had  been  carried  into  execution,  would 
have  worked  a  great  injury  to  the  boy  trapper. 

The  wagon  having  passed  on  out  of  hearing,  Dan 
shouldered  his  rifle  and  started  toward  the  landing. 
While  he  was  skulking  through  the  woods  at  the 
lower  end  of  the  field,  he  stopped  in  a  fence  corner 
long  enough  to  see  David  and  his  two  friends  trans- 
fer another  good-sized  catch  from  one  of  the  traps  to 
the  coop  in  the  wagon.  The  sight  encouraged  him 
greatly.  If  David's  good  luck  would  only  continue 
for  just  one  week,  the  fifty  dozen  birds  would  certainly 
be  captured,  and  Dan  would  stand  a  chance  of  making 
a  small  fortune.  It  was  not  so  very  small  either  in 
his  estimation.  His  share  would  be  seventy-five 
dollars — his  father  had  told  him  so — and  that  would 
make  a  larger  pile  of  greenbacks  than  Dan  had  ever 
seen  at  one  time  in  his  life.  With  it  he  was  sure 
he  could  buy  a  new  gun  as  fine  as  the  one  Don  Gor- 
don owned  (he  would  not  have  believed  it  if  any  one 
had  told  him  that  that  little  breech-loader  cost  a 


212  THE   BOY  TRAPPER. 

hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars  in  gold),  a  jointed 
fish-pole,  and  some  good  clothes  to  wear  to  church ; 
and  when  he  had  purchased  all  these  nice  things,  he 
hoped  to  have  enough  left  to  buy  a  circus-horse  like 
Don's,  and  perhaps  a  sail-boat  also.  Godfrey,  for 
reasons  of  his  own,  had  held  out  these  grand  ideas 
to  him  during  one  of  their  interviews,  and  Dan, 
being  unable  to  figure  the  matter  out  for  himself,  be- 
lieved all  his  father  told  him. 

Having  seen  the  second  catch  put  into  the  coop, 
Dan  started  toward  the  landing  again.  It  Avas  mail 
day,  and  consequently  there  was  a  larger  number  of 
loafers  about  the  post-office  than  there  usually  was. 
Among  them  were  Lester  Brigham  and  Bob  Owens, 
who  seemed  to  be  very  much  interested  in  something 
that  was  fastened  to  the  bulletin-board  in  the  store. 
Having  nothing  better  to  do  just  then  Dan  walked 
up  behind  them,  and  looking  over  their  shoulders 
spelled  out  with  much  difficulty  the  following — 

"  NOTICE. 
"  Ten  Dollars  Reward. 

"  Strayed  or  stolen,  my  black-and-white  pointer, 
Dandy.  I  will  pay  the  above  reward  for  his  safe 
return,  and  ask  no  questions ;  or  I  will  give  Five 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  213 

Dollars  for  any  information  that  will   lead   to  his 

recovery. 

"  DONALD  GORDON." 

"  I  am  glad  he  has  lost  him,  and  I  hope  he  will 
never  see  him  again,"  said  Bob,  spitefully.  "  If  I 
knew  where  he  was,  I  wouldn't  tell  him  for  five 
times  five  dollars." 

"  What  does  he  want  him  back  for,  anyhow  ?" 
said  Lester.  "  Don  is  assisting  in  shipping  quails 
out  of  the  country,  and  the  first  thing  he  knows 
the  dog  will  be  of  no  use  to  him." 

Dan  did  not  waste  five  minutes  in  loafing  about 
the  store  after  that.  Here  was  something  he  had 
"been  waiting  for  ever  since  he  stole  the  pointer. 
The  owner  had  offered  a  heavy  reward  for  his  safe 
return — it  was  twice  as  much  as  Godfrey  said  they 
ought  to  have — and  the  next  thing  to  be  settled  was, 
how  to  obtain  the  money,  without  facing  Don  Gor- 
don. This  was  a  question  over  which  Dan  had 
often  bothered  his  few  brains,  but  without  finding 
any  way  of  answering  it.  Something  must  be  de- 
termined upon  now,  however,  for  there  was  a  nice 
little  sum  of  money  at  stake. 

Dan  made  all  haste  to  do  his  trading,  and  taking 
his  stockings  and  shoes  under  his  arm,  set  out  for 


214  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

home,  avoiding  the  road,  as  he  always  did  when 
Don  and  Bert  were  about,  and  skulking  around 
through  the  woods  and  fields.  When  he  reached 
the  cabin,  he  seated  himself  upon  the  bench  beside 
the  door,  and  there  he  remained  building  air-castles 
until  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Then  he  began 
to  bestir  himself,  and  David,  who  came  home  that 
night  before  his  mother  did,  was  surprised  to  find  a 
roaring  fire  on  the  hearth,  a  pile  of  wood  large 
enough  to  last  all  the  evening  beside  it,  and  in  a 
pan  upon  the  table  a  half  a  dozen  squirrels,  dressed 
and  ready  for  the  frying-pan. 

"  What  in  the  world  is  up  now  ?"  thought  David. 
"  Dan's  got  an  axe  to  grind,  for  he  never  does  such 
things,  unless  he  intends  to  make  something  by 
it." 

"  Halloo,  Davy  !"  exclaimed  Dan,  cheerfully.  "  I 
thought  mebbe  you'd  be  cold  when  you  come  hum, 
so  I  built  up  a  fire  to  warm  you.  Jest  look  at  them 
thar  squirrels,  will  you?  Every  one  on  'em  was 
shot  through  the  head.  Can  you  beat  that?" 

"  No,"  answered  David.     "  It  can't  be  beaten." 

"  If  we  had  a  few  quail  now,  we'd  have  a  bully 
supper,  wouldn't  we  ?"  continued  Dan.  "  You  don't 
seem  to  shoot  no  more  quail  lately,  do  you,  Davy  ?" 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  215 

"  0,  I  can't  hunt  them  without  a  dog  to  tell  me 
where  they  are." 

"  Hain't  you  never  heard  nothin'  from  that  pinter 
pup  at  all  ?" 

"  Not  a  word." 

"  I'm  sorry.  I  wish  I  knowed  whar  he  was,  so't 
I  could  fetch  him  back.  I'm  scandalous  mad  at  my- 
self fur  takin'  that  money  from  you  an'  Don,  an'  if 
I  had  ten  dollars  I'd  give  'em  back  to-night ;  but  I 
hain't  got  'em,  an'  so  I'm  goin'  to  try  an'  find  his 
dog  fur  him." 

"  He'll  be  very  glad  to  get  him,"  said  David,  who 
knew  very  well  that  his  brother  had  some  other  rea- 
son for  taking  this  sudden  interest  in  the  pointer. 

"  I  want  to  act  decent  now,  like  a  gentleman  had 
oughter  act,"  Dan  went  on  ;  "  an'  if  I  do  what  I  can 
fur  Don,  do  you  reckon  he'll  call  it  squar'  ?" 

"  I  don't  know.  You  must  talk  to  him  about 
that." 

"  But  I  ain't  agoin'  to  face  him  till  I  know  how 
he  feels  towards  me,  I  bet  you.  I  don't  know  whar 
the  dog  is,  more'n  the  man  in  the  moon ;  but  I'm 
kinder  scentin'  round,  when  I  hain't  got  no  work  to 
do,  an'  if  I  should  happen  to  find  him,  would  you 
take  him  to  Don  fur  me  ?" 


216  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

"  Of  course  I  would,  and  be  very  glad  to  do 
it." 

"  Then  I'll  do  what  I  kin,  an'  if  I  do  say  it  my- 
self, I  kin  find  him  if  anybody  kin.  I  kin  afford  to 
spend  all  my  time  lookin'  fur  him,  kase  I  was  down 
to  the  landin'  to-day,  an'  I  seed  a  notice  stuck  up 
thar  savin'  that  Don'll  give  ten  dollars  fur  him  an' 
ax  no  questions.  What's  the  matter  of  you?"  de- 
manded Dan,  as  David  turned  quickly  about  and 
walked  toward  the  door.  "  Hain't  goin'  off  mad, 
be  you?" 

"I  don't  know  what  to  make  of  you,  Dan,"  re- 
plied David.  "  A  little  while  ago  you  gave  me  to 
understand  that  the  reason  why  you  wanted  to  bring 
the  dog  back  to  Don,  was  because  you  wanted  to 
make  everything  square  between  you  and  him ;  and 
now  you  say  you  want  to  do  it  because  Don  has  of- 
fered a  reward  for  him." 

"  An'  I  told  you  the  gospel  truth  both  times,"  ex- 
claimed Dan.  "  That  thar  aniinile  is  wuth  every 
cent  of  fifty  dollars;  an'  if  I  bring  him  back,  it'll 
be  that  much  in  Don's  pocket  an'  ten  dollars  in  mine. 
I  kin  afford  to  work  fur  that,  can't  I  ?" 

"Very  well,"  said  David.  "  If  you  will  produce 
the  dog,  safe  and  sound,  I'll  take  him  to  his  master 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  217 

for  you,  and  bring  back  the  reward  if  he  gives  it 
to  me." 

This  interview  had  a  perceptible  effect  upon  both 
the  boys.  It  took  away  all  Dan's  industry,  and  all 
David's  peace  of  mind.  The  former  had  gained  his 
point.  He  had  made  his  brother  promise  to  take 
Dandy  to  his  owner  and  bring  back  the  reward,  and 
that  was  happiness  for  one  day.  He  didn't  chop  any 
more  wood  or  take  any  more  interest  in  the  supper. 
He  seated  himself  on  the  bench  again  and  resumed 
the  agreeable  occupation  in  which  he  had  spent  the 
most  of  the  afternoon — that  of  building  air-castles. 

David  walked  up  and  down  the  floor,  with  his 
hands  in  his  pockets,  thinking  busily.  He  told  him- 
self over  and  over  again  that  if  it  were  not  for  his 
mother,  he  would  not  care  if  he  should  never  see  his 
home  again.  He  was  cheerful  and  happy  when  he 
was  away  from  it,  but  it  almost  always  happened 
that  as  soon  as  he  crossed  the  threshold  something 
transpired  to  make  him  miserable  and  gloomy.  His 
conversation  with  Dan  had  confirmed  a  suspicion 
that  had  been  lurking  in  his  mind  ever  since  the 
pointer  disappeared.  He  had  all  the  while  held  to 
the  belief  that  Dan  knew  where  the  dog  was,  and 
Dan  might  as  well  have  confessed  it,  for  his  face  and 


218  THE    BOY    TRAPPER. 

his  actions  constantly  betrayed  him.  David  believed, 
too,  that  his  father  had  not  left  the  country,  as  a 
good  many  people  in  the  settlement  seemed  to  think, 
but  that  he  was  hiding  in  the  woods  somewhere  in 
the  immediate  neighborhood.  Of  this  he  had  re- 
ceived proof  that  was  almost  positive.  lie  knew,  if 
Don  and  Bert  did  not,  that  it  was  something  besides 
a  bear  they  had  driven  off  Bruin's  Island,  on  the 
day  they  wrent  up  the  bayou  with  the  hounds.  lie 
had  seen  footprints  in  the  mud  that  were  made  by  a 
barefooted  man ;  and  more  than  that,  having  been 
the  first  to  come  out  of  the  cane  when  the  dogs  led 
the  way  toward  the  head  of  the  island,  he  had  caught 
a  glimpse  of  something,  as  it  Avas  disappearing  in  the 
bushes  on  the  main  shore,  which  looked  wonderfully 
like  the  tattered  hickory  shirt  his  father  had  worn 
the  last  time  he  saw  him.  This  discovery,  taken  in 
connection  with  Dan's  behavior,  led  David  to  believe 
that  his  father  and  brother  were  often  in  communi- 
cation with  each  other ;  and  when  the  pointer  disap- 
peared, he  promptly  settled  it  in  his  own  mind  that 
Godfrey  and  Dan  were  to  blame  for  it.  He  was  as 
certain  now  that  Dan  had  had  a  finger  in  the  business 
as  he  would  have  been  if  he  had  seen  him  going  off 
with  the  dog ;  and  he  resolved  that  as  soon  as  the 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  219 

next  day  dawned,  he  would  take  pains  to  find  out 
whether  or  not  he  was  correct  in  supposing  that  his 
father  was  Dan's  accomplice. 

"  Father  hid  on  Bruin's  Island  while  the  Yankees 
were  raiding  through  here,"  thought  David.  "  When 
we  drove  him  off,  thinking  he  was  a  bear,  of  course 
he  had  to  hunt  a  new  hiding-place,  and  it  is  possible 
that  he  is  now  camping  close  about  there  on  the  main 
shore.  If  I  can  find  his  camp,  I'll  take  a  good  look 
at  it.  If  I  don't  see  the  pointer  there,  well  and 
good ;  I  shall  be  very  glad  of  it.  But  if  he  is  there, 
I  must  get  hold  of  him  somehow.  Don  has  been 
swindled  out  of  enough  money  by  the  black  sheep  of 
our  family,  and  he  shan't  lose  any  more  by  them  if 
I  can  help  it." 

As  this  thought  passed  through  David's  mind,  an 
expression  of  determination  settled  on  his  face,  which 
did  not  fail  to  attract  the  notice  of  Dan,  who  just 
then  happened  to  look  into  the  cabin  to  see  what  his 
brother  was  doing. 

"What  you  lookin'  that  ar  way  fur?"  demanded 
Dan.  "  Ain't  puttin'  up  a  job  on  me,  be  you  ?" 

David  replied  that  he  was  not. 

"  You'll  take  the  pinter  to  Don  an'  fetch  me  back 
the  ten  dollars,  honor  bright  ?"  continued  Dan. 


220  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

"  That  is  what  I  promised  to  do,  isn't  it  ?"  asked 
David  in  reply.  "  But  if  I  can  help  it  you  will 
never  have  the  dog  in  your  possession  again,"  he 
added,  mentally.  "  I  didn't  promise  that  I  wouldn't 
head  you  off  if  I  could." 

"  An'  you  won't  answer  no  questions  ?  Don  said 
in  that  notice  that  he  wouldn't  ax  none." 

"  Then  of  course  I  shall  not  answer  any.  You 
needn't  be  afraid.  I  shan't  mention  your  name." 

"  Kase  if  you're  thinkin'  of  puttin'  up  a  job  on 
me,  Davy,"  said  Dan,  shaking  his  finger  at  his 
brother,  "  you  won't  never  see  that  pinter  ag'in  so 
long  as  you  live.  Keep  still  now.  Here  comes  the 
ole  woman." 

Dan  settled  back  on  the  bench  again,  and  David 
took  his  hands  out  of  his  pockets  long  enough  to 
throw  a  fresh  log  of  wood  on  the  fire — not  because  it 
was  needed,  but  for  the  reason  that  he  wanted  to  hide 
his  face  from  his  mother  for  a  minute  or  two  until 
he  could  call  to  it  a  more  cheerful  expression  than 
the  one  it  was  then  wearing.  He  had  never  said  a 
word  to  his  mother  about  his  suspicions  regarding  his 
father  and  Dan,  for  he  wanted  to  talk  to  her  about 
nothing  but  pleasant  and  agreeable  things.  She  had 
enough  to  trouble  her  already. 


THE   BOY  TRAPPER.  221 

David  had  everybody  in  the  cabin  up  at  an  earlier 
hour  than  usual  the  next  morning,  and  after  eating 
a  very  hasty  breakfast,  he  took  his  gun  under  his 
arm,  bade  his  mother  good-by  and  disappeared  down 
the  road  that  led  to  General  Gordon's.  Dan  sat  on 
the  bench  and  watched  him  as  long  as  he  remained 
in  sight. 

"  It's  a  heap  easier  to  have  a  feller  to  'arn  your 
money  fur  you  nor  it  is  to  'arn  it  yourself,"  thought 
Dan.  "Here's  Dave  a  toilin'  an'  a  slavin'  fur  them 
hundred  an'  fifty  dollars,  an'  when  he  gets  'em, 
they'll  go  plump  into  pap's  pocket  an'  mine,  an' 
he'll  never  see  no  good  of  'em  at  all.  I'll  have  ten 
dollars  in  my  pocket  this  very  night.  It's  'most  too 
frosty  to  go  slashin'  round  through  the  bushes  now, 
so  I'll  wait  till  the  sun  gets  a  little^  higher,  then 
I'll  go  arter  that  pinter." 

David  kept  on  down  the  road,  until  he  was  out 
of  sight  of  the  cabin,  and  then  he  climbed  the  fence 
and  plunged  into  a  dense  thicket  of  briers,  through 
which  he  made  his  way  with  great  difficulty,  follow- 
ing nearly  the  same  path  that  Clarence  Gordon  fol- 
lowed on  the  morning  he  went  through  there  to  re- 
lease his  cousin  Don  from  the  potato-cellar.  Reach- 
ing the  woods  at  last,  he  took  a  straight  course  for 


222  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

Bruin's  Island,  and  half  an  hour's  rapid  walking 
brought  him  within  sight  of  it. 

David's  first  care  was  to  satisfy  himself  that  it 
was  a  man  and  not  a  bear  that  Don's  hounds  had 
driven  off  the  island ;  and  in  order  to  set  all  his 
doubts  on  this  point  at  rest,  he  looked  for  the  foot- 
prints which  the  man  or  animal  must  have  made 
when  he  left  the  water  arid  climbed  the  bank.  David 
found  the  tracks  after  a  few  minutes'  search,  and 
a  single  glance  at  them  confirmed  his  suspicions. 
They  were  made  by  a  barefooted  man,  and  that  man 
must  have  been  Godfrey  Evans,  for  there  was  no 
one  else  in  the  settlement,  that  he  knew  of,  who  was 
so  very  anxious  to  escape  observation  that  he  was 
willing  to  swim  a  bayou  on  a  cold  day. 

"  I  was  right,"  said  David  to  himself,  feeling 
grieved  and  mortified  when  he  remembered  that  his 
father  had  been  hunted  like  a  wild  animal.  "  He 
is  somewhere  about  here,  and  if  I  find  him,  I  shall 
find  the  pointer  with  him.  There  he  is  now  !" 

The  sharp  crack  of  a  rifle  rang  through  the  woods 
at  that  moment,  and  David  scrambled  up  the  bank 
and  hurried  away  in  the  direction  from  which  it 
sounded.  He  knew  it  was  his  father's  gun  (those 
who  are  experienced  in  such  matters  will  tell  you 


THE   BOY  TRAPPER.  223 

that  there  is  as  much  difference  in  the  reports  of 
rifles  as  there  is  in  the  sound  of  the  human  voice), 
even  before  he  received  the  proof  that  came  a 
moment  later.  Scarcely  had  the  report  died  away 
when  he  heard  an  impatient  yelp  just  in  front  of 
him,  and  that  he  also  recognised.  It  was  uttered 
by  Dandy.  Godfrey  was  probably  out  hunting  for 
his  breakfast,  and  the  pointer,  excited  by  the  report 
of  the  gun,  was  complaining  because  he  was  tied  up 
in  the  camp  and  left  behind.  This  was  the  way 
David  explained  the  situation  to  himself,  and  the 
sequel  proved  that  he  was  right. 

After  running  through  the  bushes  for  a  short  dis- 
tance, David  came  within  sight  of  a  little  cloud  of 
smoke,  which  ascended  from  a  hollow  just  in  advance 
of  him.  A  few  steps  more  brought  him  within 
sight  of  the  camp,  and  the  first  object  his  eyes  rested 
upon  was  Don  Gordon's  pointer,  which  was  tied  to  a 
sapling  near  a  little  bark  lean-to,  something  like  the 
one  Godfrey  occupied  while  he  was  living  on  the 
island.  The  animal,  hearing  his  approach,  advanced 
to  meet  him  as  far  as  the  length  of  his  rope  would 
allow,  and  stood  wagging  his  tail  with  every  demon- 
stration of  joy. 

"  I've  saved  Don  ten  dollars,"  thought  David,  as 


224  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

he  pulled  out  his  knife  arid  cut  the  rope,  "  and  I 
have  kept  Dan  and  father  from  playing  a  most  con- 
temptible trick  upon  one  who  would  be  a  good  friend 
to  them,  if  they  would  only  let  him." 

David  had  taken  no  pains  to  approach  his  father's 
camp  without  being  discovered.  He  knew  he  was 
in  the  right,  and  he  intended  to  be  open  and  above 
board  in  everything  he  did.  He  expected  to  meet 
his  father  face  to  face,  and  he  was  ready  to  use  every 
argument  he  could  think  of  to  induce  him  to  sur- 
render the  pointer,  that  is,  if  the  animal  should  be 
found  in  his  possession.  If  arguments  and  entreaties 
failed,  he  was  prepared  to  use  other  means,  although 
he  knew  that  by  so  doing  he  would  bring  certain 
punishment  upon  himself.  Very  fortunately,  how- 
ever, he  chanced  to  reach  the  camp  during  his 
father's  absence,  and  all  he  had  to  do  was  to  liberate 
the  pointer  and  go  home  with  him. 

"  I'm  glad  it  happened  just  as  it  did,"  thought 
David,  drawing  a  long  breath  of  relief;  "  I  don't 
want  to  get  into  trouble  with  father,  for  I  have  seen 
him  angry  too  many  times.  If  he  should  catch  me 
here  now  I  believe  he'd  half  kill  me." 

"  Halloo,  Dannie  !  What  brung  you  up  here  so 
'arly,  an*  whar  be  you  goin'  with  the  dog?" 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  225 

David's  heart  seemed  to  stop  beating,  and  his  old 
Bingle-barrel  grew  so  heavy  that  he  could  scarcely 
sustain  its  weight.  His  first  impulse  was  to  take  to 
his  heels,  but  the  unexpected  sound  of  the  familiar 
voice  seemed  to  have  deprived  him  of  all  power  of 
motion.  He  did  manage,  however,  to  turn  his  head 
and  look  in  the  direction  from  which  the  voice 
sounded,  and  saw  his  father  standing  a  little  way  off, 
with  his  rifle  on  his  shoulder  and  a  squirrel  in  his 
hand. 

"  Dave  !"  exclaimed  the  latter,  so  surprised  that 
he  could  scarcely  speak. 

"Yes,  it's  Dave,"  replied  the  boy,  who  saw  that 
the  battle  for  which  he  had  prepared  himself  was 
likely  to  come  off  after  all. 

"  What  business  you  got  up  here,  an'  how  come 
you  by  that  pinter  pup?"  demanded  Godfrey. 

"My  business  up  here  was  to  get  the  dog.  I 
found  him  in  your  camp,  and  I  cut  him  loose  because 
I  have  a  better  right  to  him  than  you  have." 

"Wai,  we'll  see  'bout  that  thar,"  returned  God- 
frey, throwing  down  his  squirrel  and  leaning  his  rifle 
against  the  nearest  tree.  David's  face  grew  pale, 
for  he  knew  what  was  coming  now.  His  father's 
next  move  would  be  to  reach -for  a  hickory. 
15 


226  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

"  Who  told  you  I  was  up  here?"  demanded  God 
frey,  and  David's  uneasiness  increased  when  he  saw 
that  his  father  was  running  his  eyes  over  the  bushes 
nearest  him.  He  was  picking  out  a  good  stout 
switch. 

"  No  one  told  me,"  answered  David. 

"  Then  how  did  you  know  whar  I  was  ?" 

"I  was  up  here  with  Don  and  Bert  on  the  day 
you  swam  the  bayou,  and  I  saw  you  just  after  you 
had  climbed  the  bank  and  were  dodging  into  the 
bushes." 

"  Don't  you  think  you  was  a  very  grateful  an'  du- 
tiful son  to  hunt  your  poor  ole  pap  outen  a  good  hid- 
in'-place  an'  make  him  take  to  the  water  like  a 
hounded  deer,  in  this  cold  weather  too,  an'  my  rheu- 
matiz  so  bad?"  asked  Godfrey,  angrily.  "Who 
told  you  the  pinter  was  here  ?" 

"  Nobody.     I  just  guessed  at  it." 

"  Wai,  what  be  you  goin'  to  do  with  him,  now  you 
got  him  ?" 

"  I'm  going  to  take  him  back  to  his  master  and 
save  him  ten  dollars." 

"  Ten  dollars  !"  repeated  Godfrey.  "  Is  that  what 
he's  goin'  to  give  to  get  him  back  ?  Now,  Dave," 
acd  here  Godfrey  pulled  out  the  hunting-knife  which 


TUB   BOY   TRAPPER.  227 

he  always  carried  in  a  sheath  attached  to  his  bullet- 
pouch,  and  cut  down  the  switch  he  had  selected, 
"•  you  jest  take  that  thar  pinter  dog  back  whar  you 
got  him  an'  tie  him  up  thar ;  you  hear  me  ?" 

"  I  do,  but  I'll  hold  fast  to  the  dog.  You  and 
Dan  have  swindled  Don  out  of  enough  money 
already  ;  and  now  I'll  tell  you  what's  a  fact " 

David  did  not  finish  the  sentence.  He  saw  his 
father  dash  his  hat  upon  the  ground,  and  knowing 
what  was  coming,  he  faced  about  and  took  to  his 
heels. 


228  THE   BOY   TRAPPEB. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

SOME    DISCOVERIES. 

T^VAVID  would  have  been  glad  to  reason  with 
his  father,  but  he  had  not  been  allowed  the 
opportunity,  and  now  it  was  too  late  to  find  one. 
His  first  thought  was  of  the  pointer.  Giving  the 
animal  a  hasty  kick,  to  start  him  on  his  way  home, 
David  sought  to  save  himself  by  flight,  although  he 
had  little  hope  of  success.  Everybody  said  he  was 
a  swift  runner  for  a  boy  of  his  age,  and  he  did  his 
best  now,  but  fast  as  he  went,  Godfrey  gained  at 
every  step.  David  heard  his  heavy  footfalls  grow- 
ing louder  and  more  distinct,  and  once  or  twice  he 
lost  all  heart,  and  was  on  the  point  of  stopping  and 
surrendering  at  discretion.  But  he  knew  that  the 
beating  he  would  receive  would  be  a  most  severe  one, 
and  he  was  sure  he  did  not  deserve  it,  and  that  his 
father  had  no  business  to  give  it  to  him.  This 
thought  lent  him  wings,  and  a  few  more  jumps 
brought  him  to  the  bayou. 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  229 

"I've  got  you  now!"  cried  Godfrey,  and  David 
heard  the  switch  whistle  through  the  air,  as  his  pur- 
suer made  an  effort  to  reach  him  with  it. 

Godfrey  thought  the  bayou  would  offer  an 
effectual  check  to  David's  flight,  but  the  boy  him- 
self looked  upon  it  as  his  only  means  of  escape. 
He  ran  straight  to  the  bank,  which  at  this  point 
arose  almost  perpendicularly  from  the  water  to  the 
height  of  at  least  twenty  feet,  and  just  as  Godfrey 
was  stretching  forth  his  hand  to  seize  him  by  the 
collar,  he  disappeared.  His  pursuer  tried  to  stop 
himself,  but  so  rapid  was  his  flight  that  he  made 
one  or  two  involuntary  steps,  and  it  was  only  by 
catching  hold  of  a  friendly  bush  that  he  saved  him- 
self from  following  David  over  the  bluff. 

"Dog-gone  my  buttons!"  thought  Godfrey,  gaz- 
ing in  astonishment  at  the  bubbles  on  the  surface 
of  the  water,  which  marked  the  spot  where  David 
had  gone  down.  "  Who'd  a  thought  he  would  a 
jumped  into  the  bayou  sooner  nor  take  a  leetle 
trouncin'  ?  He's  gettin'  to  be  a  powerful  bad  boy, 
Dave  is,  an'  I  had  oughter  be  to  hum  every  day  to 
keep  him  straight.  Come  back  here  !"  he  shouted, 
as  the  fugitive's  head  suddenly  bobbed  up  out  of 
the  water.  t;  If  you'll  ketch  the  pinter  fur  me  an' 


230  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

promise  to  say  nothin'  to  nobody,  I'll  let  you  off 
this  time." 

David  could  not  say  a  word  in  reply.  He  felt  as 
if  every  drop  of  blood  in  his  body  had  been  turned 
into  ice.  He  wiped  the  water  from  his  eyes, 
glanced  over  his  shoulder,  to  make  sure  that  his 
father  had  not  followed  him  into  the  bayou,  and 
struck  out  for  the  opposite  bank.  Godfrey  coaxed, 
promised  and  threatened  to  no  purpose.  David 
would  not  come  back,  and  neither  would  he  make 
any  answer.  He  held  as  straight  across  the  bayou 
as  the  current  would  permit,  and  when  he  reached 
the  shore,  he  climbed  out  and  disappeared  in  the 
bushes. 

"  He's  gone,"  thought  Godfrey,  throwing  away 
his  switch  and  slowly  retracing  his  steps  toward  the 
camp,  "an'  here's  more  trouble  for  me.  The  pint- 
er's  gone  too,  an'  that  takes  money  outen  my  pocket 
an'  puts  it  into  the  pockets  of  them  pizen  Gordons. 
Dave'll  tell  everything  he  knows  as  soon  as  he  gets 
hum,  an'  that'll  bring  the  constable  up  here  arter 
me.  I  must  go  furder  back  in  the  cane ,  but  I 
won't  go  outen  the  settlement,  an'  nobody  shan't 
drive  me  out  nuthcr,  till  I  get  my  hands  onto  them 
hundred  an'  fifty  dollars.  Then  nobody  won't  ever 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  231 

hear  of  me  ag'in — Dan  nor  none  of  'em.  It's  jest 
a  trifle  comfortin'  to  know  that  that  thar  mean  Dave 
can't  do  no  more  shootin' ;  he  lost  his  gun." 

Yes,  David's  faithful  friend  and  companion  was 
gone.  It  slipped  from  his  grasp  as  he  struck  the 
water,  and  was  now  lying  at  the  bottom  of  the  bayou. 
He  felt  the  loss  as  keenly  as  Don  Gordon  would 
have  felt  the  loss  of  his  fine  breech-loader. 

David  thought  he  had  never  before  been  so  nearly 
frozen  as  he  was  when  he  struck  the  opposite  bank 
of  the  bayou ;  but  a  few  minutes'  vigorous  exercise 
put  his  blood  in  circulation  again,  and  then  he  began 
to  feel  more  comfortable.  He  followed  the  bayou 
until  he  reached  the  lake,  and  then  he  plunged  into 
the  water  again,  and  swam  across  to  the  other  shore. 
It  was  cold  work,  but  he  had  no  boat,  and  so  there 
was  nothing  else  he  could  do.  He  was  a  very  for- 
lorn-looking object  indeed,  when  he  reached  the 
cabin.  Dan,  who  was  still  sunning  himself  on  the 
bench,  must  have  thought  so,  for  when  his  brother 
first  appeared  in  sight,  he  jumped  up  and  stared  at 
him  as  if  he  could  not  quite  make  up  his  mind 
whether  the  approaching  object  was  David  Evans, 
or  one  of  the  dreaded  haunts  that  lived  in  the  Gen- 
eral's lane.  He  could  not  wholly  satisfy  himself  on 


232  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

this  point  until  he  had  made  some  inquiries.  "  Is 
that  you  your  own  self,  Davy  ?"  he  asked,  holding 
himself  ready  to  take  to  his  heels  in  case  a  satisfactory 
answer  was  not  promptly  returned. 

David  replied  that  it  was. 

"  What's  the  matter  of  you,  an'  whar  you  been  ?" 
continued  Dan.  "  Whar's  your  gun  ?" 

"  I  have  swam  the  bayou  twice,  and  I  have  been 
taking  a  walk  in  the  woods.  My  gun  is  in  the  water 
near  the  foot  of  Bruin's  Island." 

Dan  opened  his  eyes  and  was  about  to  propound  a 
multitude  of  questions,  when  something  that  came 
around  the  corner  of  the  cabin  just  then  checked 
him.  It  was  Don  Gordon's  pointer.  He  had  found 
his  way  to  the  cabin  and  taken  quiet  possession  of 
his  bed  in  the  kennel,  and  Dan  was  none  the  wiser 
for  it  until  that  moment.  Hearing  the  sound  of 
David's  voice,  the  dog  came  out  to  meet  him,  and 
the  two  appeared  to  be  overjoyed  to  see  each  other 
again.  Dan  opened  his  eyes  wider  than  ever,  and 
backed  toward  his  seat  on  the  bench  without  saying 
a  word. 

"I  found  him  right  where  you  left  him,  Dan," 
said  David,  who  thought  it  high  time  his  brother 
should  know  that  some  of  his  mean  acts  were  being 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  233 

brought  to  light.  "I've  got  him  again,  you  see, 
and  you'll  never  have  another  chance  to  steal  him." 

"  What  have  you  got,  an'  whar  did  I  leave  him  ?" 
Dan  managed  to  ask  at  last. 

"  0,  I  wouldn't  try  to  play  off  innocent,  if  I  were 
you.  I  know  all  about  it ;  and  I  want  to  tell  you 
now  that  you  had  better  turn  over  a  new  leaf  and  be 
quick  about  it,  too.  Mother  says  that  if  folks  don't 
grow  better  every  day,  they  grow  worse,  and  I  can 
see  that  it  is  true  in  your  case  and  father's.  You 
are  both  going  down  hill,  and  the  first  thing  you 
know  you'll  do  something  that  will  get  you  in  the 
calaboose.  Three  months  ago  neither  one  of  you 
would  have  been  guilty  of  stealing." 

"  Whoop  !"  yelled  Dan,  jumping  up  and  knocking 
his  heels  together. 

"  I  don't  want  to  go  back  on  either  one  of  you," 
continued  David,  "and  neither  do  I  want  to  tell 
mother  how  bad  you  are ;  but  I'll  do  it  sooner  than 
let  you  swindle  Don  Gordon  or  anybody  else.  Why 
don't  you  go  to  work  ?" 

"  Kase  I've  got  jest  as  much  right  to  set  around 
an'  do  nothin'  as  other  folks  has,"  answered  Dan, 
who  had  had  time  to  recover  himself  in  some  measure. 
"That's jest  why!" 


234  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

"  Mother  and  I  don't  sit  around  and  do  nothing." 

"No,  but  them  Gordons  does." 

"  No,  they  don't.  They  all  work,  Don  and  Bert 
as  well  as  the  rest." 

"  If  I  hadn't  seed  them  ridin'  round  so  much  on 
them  circus  hosses  an'  sailin'  in  them  painted  boats 
of  their'n,  mebbe  I'd  be  willin'  to  b'lieve  that,"  said 
Dan.  "  They  don't  work,  nuther.  They  don't  do 
nothin',  but  have  good  times.  They've  got  good 
clothes  an'  nice  things,  an'  I've  got  jest  as  much 
right  to  'em  as  they  have." 

"  Those  ideas  will  get  you  into  trouble  some  day," 
replied  David,  earnestly.  "  If  you  want  nice  things 
go  to  work  and  earn  them  ;  that's  the  way  to  get 
them." 

While  this  conversation  was  going  on,  David  was 
pulling  off  his  wet  clothes  and  putting  on  his  best 
suit,  the  one  he  wore  on  Sundays.  It  was  not  just 
such  a  suit  as  the  most  of  us  would  like  to  go  to 
church  in,  but  it  was  whole  and  neat,  and  David 
looked  like  another  boy  in  it.  He  kept  the  pointer 
in  the  house  with  him  all  the  while,  for  fear  that  his 
brother  might  attempt  to  steal  him  again ;  but  Dan 
was  too  much  astonished  at  the  turn  affairs  were  tak- 
ing, and  too  badly  frightened,  to  make  any  more 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  235 

efforts  to  win  the  ten  dollars  reward.    He  sat  on  the 
bench,  with   his  eyes  fastened  thoughtfully  on  the 
ground,  and  saw  David  come  out  with  the  pointer 
and  lead  him  down  the  road  toward  General  Gordon's,  • 
without  saying  a  word. 

When  David  reached  the  barn  he  walked  straight 
through  it  to  the  shop,  and  there  he  found  Don  and 
Bert,  busy  at  work  building  more  traps.  They  were 
surprised  to  see  him  dressed  in  his  best,  and  still 
more  surprised,  and  delighted  too,  when  the  pointer 
bounded  in  and  fawned  upon  them. 

"  Father  said  that  the  offer  of  a  reward  would  bring 
him  if  anything  would,"  exclaimed  Don,  as  he  wound 
his  arms  around  the  animal's  neck  and  hugged  him 
as  he  might  have  hugged  a  brother  he  had  not  seen 
for  a  long  time. 

"Yes,  the  reward  did  it,"  replied  David,  and  that 
waa  true.  If  Dan  had  not  seen  the  notice  in  the 
post-office,  he  never  would  have  had  that  conversation 
with  David,  and  consequently  the  latter  would  not 
have  known  where  to  go  to  find  the  pointer. 

"  We  all  thought  he  was  stolen,"  continued  Don. 
"  I  am  glad  you  are  the  one  to  bring  him  back,  for 
I  would  rather  give  you  the  ten  dollars  than  give  it 
to  anybody  else." 


236  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

"I  don't  want  the  money,"  said  David,  "and  1 
won't  take  it." 

"  You  can't  help  yourself.  Where  did  you  find 
him  ?" 

"  Didn't  you  promise  thac  you  wouldn't  ask  any 
questions?"  asked  David,  with  a  smile. 

"Well yes,  I  did,"  answered  Don,  somewhat 

astonished.  "  But  I  made  that  promise  just  to  let 
the  thief  see  that  he  would  run  no  risk  in  returning 
the  dog.  I  can  question  you,  can't  I  ?" 

"  I'd  rather  you  wouldn't." 

Don  uttered  a  long-drawn  whistle  and  looked  at 
Bert  to  see  what  he  thought  about  it ;  but  the  blank 
expression  on  the  latter's  face  showed  that  he  was 
altogether  in  the  dark. 

"Well,  let  it  go,"  said  Don,  picking  up  his  ham- 
mer again.  "  I've  got  the  dog  back  and  with  that 
I'll  be  satisfied.  You'll  take  him  home  with  you  to- 
night, of  course?" 

"No,  I  think  not.  I  am  afraid  to  take  him 
there." 

"  Then  leave  him  here,"  said  Don,  who  now  began 
to  think  that  he  knew  pretty  nearly  what  had  been 
going  on.  "  He'll  be  safe  with  us,  and  you  can  find 
him  when  you  want  him.  He  isn't  broken  yet." 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  237 

"  I  know  it,  but  I  can't  do  any  more  for  him.  I 
shall  have  to  give  you  back  your  ten  dollars." 

"  I'll  not  take  it.  A  bargain  is  a  bargain.  I  want 
my  dog  broken,  and  you  need  the  money  to  send  off 
your  quails  with." 

"I  know  it,"  said  David  again;  "but  I  can't 
shoot  any  more  birds  over  him.  I  have  no  gun." 

"  Where  is  it  ?" 

"  At  the  bottom  of  the  bayou." 

The  brothers  grew  more  and  more  astonished  the 
longer  they  talked  with  David,  and  Don  told  himself 
that  there  had  been  some  queer  doings  in  the  settle- 
ment that  morning.  His  interest  and  curiosity  were 
thoroughly  aroused,  but  he  did  not  ask  any  more 
questions,  for  he  knew  that  David  could  not  explain 
matters  without  exposing  one  or  more  members  of 
his  own  family.  He  turned  the  conversation  into  a 
new  channel  by  saying  suddenly : 

"  Bert  and  I  made  the  rounds  of  the  traps  this 
morning,  and  took  out  a  hundred  and  fifty  birds, 
What  do  you  say  to  that  ?" 

Under  almost  any  other  circumstances  David 
would  have  had  a  good  deal  to  say  about  it ;  but 
just  now  he  seemed  to  have  lost  all  interest  in  his 
business.  It  would  have  been  hard  for  any  boy  to 


238  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

wear  a  merry  smile  and  keep  up  a  light  heart  after 
such  a  scene  as  David  had  passed  through  that  morn- 
ing. He  could  not  banish  it  from  his  memory.  His 
father  was  hiding  in  the  woods,  because  he  was  afraid 
to  show  his  face  among  his  neighbors  again ;  he  was 
a  receiver  of  stolen  property  and  his  brother 
Dan  was  a  thief,  and  the  remembrance  of  these  facts 
was  enough  to  depress  the  most  buoyant  spirits. 
David  wanted  to  do  something  to  bring  his  father 
and  brother  to  their  senses,  and  induce  them  to  be- 
come decent,  respected  members  of  the  community, 
but  he  did  not  know  how  to  set  about  it,  and  there 
was  no  one  of  whom  he  could  ask  advice.  He  never 
talked  to  his  mother  about  the  family  difficulties 
now.  She  had  more  than  her  share  of  trouble,  and 
David  always  tried  to  talk  about  cheerful  things 
when  he  was  in  her  presence. 

"  Doesn't  it  cheer  you  up  any  to  know  that  your 
business  is  prospering?"  exclaimed  Bert.  "Then 
we  will  tell  you  something  else.  How  would  you 
like  to  be  mail  carrier?  How  would  you  like  to 
put  thirty  dollars  in  your  pocket  every  month  ?" 

"  That  is  more  money  than  I  shall  be  able  to  earn 
for  long  years  to  come,"  replied  David. 

"  Perhaps  not     Father  told  us  this  morning  that 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  239 

the  old  mail  carrier  is  going  to  give  up  his  route, 
his  contract  having  expired,  and  he  thinks  he  can 
get  you  appointed  in  his  place.  He's  been  to  see 
Colonel  Packard,  and  Silas  Jones,  and  all  the  rest 
of  the  prominent  men  in  the  settlement,  and  they 
have  promised  to  give  you  all  their  influence  and  to 
go  on  your  bond." 

"  What  does  that  mean  ?"  asked  David,  who  now 
began  to  show  some  interest  in  the  matter. 

"  Why,  there  are  certain  legal  forms  to  go  through 
with,  which  father  explained,  but  which  I  don't  pre- 
tend to  understand,"  said  Bert.  "  You  must  pro- 
mise to  attend  to  your  business " 

"0,  I'll  do  that,"  exclaimed  David. 

"Of  course  you  will,"  said  Don,  "but  that  will 
not  satisfy  the  authorities  in  Washington.  They 
don't  know  you,  and  even  if  they  did  it  would  make 
no  difference.  The  law  must  be  Complied  with,  and 
you  must  give  bonds  for  the  faithful  performance  of 
your  duty.  But  that  needn't  trouble  you ;  father 
will  attend  to  it.  He  says  your  chances  are  good, 
for  you  are  the  only  one  on  the  track  so  far." 

This  was  the  first  time  David  knew  that  there  was 
anybody  on  the  track.  He  was  greatly  astonished 
and  delighted,  and  his  attempts  to  express  his  grat- 


240  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

itude  for  the  General's  kindness  and  thoughtfulness 
were  awkward  enough.  Thirty  dollars  was  a  large 
sum  of  money  in  his  eyes.  His  earnings  would 
amount  to  three  hundred  and  sixty  dollars  a  year, 
and  couldn't  he  and  his  mother  live  nicely  on  that 
and  save  something  for  a  rainy  day  besides  ?  If  he 
could  get  the  contract,  and  his  father  and  Dan  would 
only  abandon  their  lazy,  worthless  mode  of  life  and 
go  to  work,  how  happy  they  would  all  be  ! 

"What's  the  matter?"  asked  Don,  for  David's 
face  became  clouded  again  when  he  thought  of  his 
father  and  Dan. 

"  There's  a  good  deal  the  matter,"  replied  David, 
"but  it  is  nothing  I  can  help." 

"  You  don't  act  like  yourself  at  all  to-day,"  con- 
tinued Don.  "  Suppose  you  go  home  and  take  a 
rest.  Don't  brood  over  your  troubles,  whatever  they 
are.  Let  them  go,  if  you  can't  help  them.  Think 
about  pleasant  things,  and  to-morrow  you  will  come 
up  here,  feeling  like  a  new  boy.  Bert  and  I  will  set 
the  traps  we  have  made  this  morning,  and  then  we'll 
go  up  and  take  a  look  at  our  bear  trap." 

David  thought  it  would  be  a  good  plan  to  follow 
this  advice,  so  he  closed  the  door  of  the  shop  to  keep 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  241 

the  pointer  from  following  him,  and  started  for 
home. 

"Well,"  said  Bert,  as  he  picked  up  his  knife  and 
resumed  work  upon  the  figure  four  he  was  making, 
"Dave  has  seen  his  father !" 

"  And  had  trouble  with  him,  too,"  added  Don. 

"It  was  about  the  pointer,"  said  Bert. 

"  My  idea  exactly.  Godfrey  is  hiding  somewhere 
in  the  cane ;  Dan  wanted  to  make  a  little  more 
money  without  work,  so  he  stole  the  pointer  and 
gave  him  to  his  father  to  keep  until  I  offered  a  re- 
ward for  him.  David  found  it  out,  and  to  save  me 
from  being  swindled,  he  recovered  the  pointer  and 
got  himself  into  difficulty  by  it." 

The  boys,  who  were  merely  guessing  at  all  this, 
would  have  been  surprised  to  know  that  their  sur- 
mises were  all  correct.  David  and  his  troubles,  and 
his  manful  efforts  to  better  his  condition  in  spite  of 
his  adverse  circumstances,  afforded  them  topics  of 
conversation  while  they  were  at  work ;  and  when 
the  figure  four,  on  which  Bert  was  employed,  was 
completed,  the  mule  was  harnessed  to  the  wagon, 
and  the  boys  drove  off  to  set  the  half  a  dozen 
new  traps  they  had  built  that  morning.  It  was 
twelve  o'clock  when  they  returned,  and  they  found 
16 


242  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

lunch  waiting  for  them.  When  they  had  done 
ample  justice  to  it,  they  began  making  hasty  prepa- 
rations for  their  visit  to  the  island,  and  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  more  saw  them  well  on  their  way  up  the 
bayou. 

They  found  to  their  great  delight  that  the  ducks 
were  beginning  to  come  in  now,  and  Don  was  kept 
busy  rowing  from  one  side  of  the  bayou  to  the  other 
to  pick  up  the  dead  and  wounded  birds  that  Bert 
brought  out  of  the  numerous  flocks  which  took  wing 
as  they  approached.  After  a  dozen  fine  fat  mallards 
had  been  brought  to  bag,  Bert  declared  that  it  was 
a  sin  to  shoot  any  more,  and  took  his  place  at  the 
oars,  while  Don  sat  in  the  stern  and  steered. 

"  These  ducks  tell  us  that  it  is  time  to  go  to  our 
shooting-box,"  said  the  latter.  "We  always  wait 
until  they  begin  to  come  in  before  we  make  up  our 
party,  you  know." 

"We  ought  to  go  over  there  and  fix  up  a  bit 
first,"  said  Bert.  "If  we  don't  find  anything  in 
our  trap,  let's  go  over  there  and  see  how  things 
look.  We  have  had  some  splendid  times  in  that 
little  shooting-box,  haven't  we?" 

They  certainly  had,  and  they  found  much  pleasure 
in  living  them  over  again  in  imagination.  While 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  243 

they  were  talking  about  the  many  happy  hours  they 
had  spent  there,  they  reached  Bruin's  Island,  and 
Don  brought  the  canoe  around  and  ran  the  bow 
upon  the  beach.  The  hounds  jumped  out,  and  run- 
ning about  with  their  noses  close  to  the  ground, 
began  to  show  the  same  signs  of  excitement  that 
they  had  exhibited  on  the  day  of  their  first  visit  to 
the  island.  The  boys  knew  more  now  than  they 
did  then,  and  consequently  were  not  in  such  haste 
to  declare  that  it  was  a  bear  the  dogs  scented.  It 
might  be  Godfrey  Evans ;  and  that  he  or  somebody 
else  had  been  there  since  they  left  was  very  evident. 
Their  trap  had  been  sprung  by  the  aid  of  a  long 
pole,  which  was  still  fast  under  the  heavy  roof;  the 
lever  and  rope  had  been  carried  away  ;  and  the  bag 
of  corn  which  Don  had  hung  upon  the  sapling  had 
also  disappeared.  Don  was  provoked,  and  laid  up 
in  his  mind  a  few  sharp  words,  to  be  addressed  to 
Godfrey  on  the  subject,  should  they  ever  happen  to 
meet  again;  but  he  had  very  little  to  say.  The 
boys  had  been  thoughtful  enough  to  bring  an  axe, 
a  piece  of  rope  and  another  small  bag  of  corn  with 
them,  and,  although  they  had  no  assurance  that  their 
labor  would  not  be  wasted,  they  set  the  trap  again 
and  started  for  home. 


244  THE  BOY  TRAPPER. 

"  If  Godfrey  did  that,"  said  Don,  "  he  must 
have  swam  the  bayou,  unless  he  has  a  boat  hidden 
away  in  the  bushes  somewhere,  which  is  not  likely. 
If  it  was  summer  now,  he  would  probably  spring 
that  trap  every  day,  just  to  keep  us  from  catching 
that  bear;  but  the  weather  is  getting  frosty,  and 
he'll  not  relish  many  more  cold  baths.  I  don't 
think  he  will  trouble  us  that  way  any  more." 

When  they  reached  the  mouth  of  the  bayou,  Bert, 
who  was  steering,  directed  the  canoe  across  the  lake, 
toward  the  point  on  which  the  shooting-box  was 
located.  During  a  pause  in  the  conversation,  he 
looked  toward  the  place  where  it  ought  to  be,  but 
could  see  nothing  of  it.  "What's  the  matter?" 
asked  his  brother,  who  saw  that  there  was  some- 
thing wrong. 

"That's  Long  Point,  isn't  it?"  asked  Bert,  in 
reply.  "  It  certainly  is,  but  where's  the  house  ?" 

"You  haven't  been  there  in  almost  six  months,  and 
perhaps  you  have  forgotten  where  it  is,"  said  Don, 
with  a  laugh. 

"No,  I  haven't.  It  stood  close  beside  a  big 
shell-bark,  didn't  it  ?  Well,  there's  the  tree ;  now 
show  me  the  shooting-box  ?" 

Don  faced  about  on  his  seat,  expecting  to  point 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  245 

the  building  out  to  his  brother  at  once,  and  was  a 
good  deal  surprised  when  he  found  that  he  could 
not  see  it  himself.  There  was  the  tree,  sure 
enough,  but  the  spot  which  the  shooting-box  ought 
to  have  occupied,  was  vacant.  After  running  his 
eves  all  along  the  shore,  to  satisfy  himself  that  he 
had  made  no  mistake  as  to  the  locality,  Don  picked 
up  the  oars  again,  and  with  a  few  more  strokes 
brought  the  canoe  to  the  bank.  All  there  was  left 
of  the  shooting-box  they  could  have  carried  away 
in  their  arms.  Even  the  stove  had  not  escaped 
destruction.  The  chimney  had  fallen  upon  it  and 
it  was  completely  ruined. 

"  Godfrey  means  to  put  a  stop  to  all  our  fun  if 
he  can,  doesn't  he  ?"  said  Bert,  who  thought  that  a 
man  who  would  steal  a  canoe  and  spring  a  trap, 
would  be  guilty  of  any  meanness. 

"  Let's  go  home,"  was  Don's  reply.  "We'll  have 
another  shooting-box  here  some  day,  Bert,  and  it 
will  beat  the  old  one  all  to  pieces." 

The  boys  thought  they  had  had  hard  luck  that 
day,  and  so  did  their  father,  when  he  had  heard  their 
story  ;  but  they  came  very  near  having  worse  luck 
that  night,  and  they  never  knew  anything  about  it 


246  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

until  several  days  afterward.  The  General  found  it 
out  the  next  morning.  He  went  to  the  fields  at  an 
early  hour,  as  he  always  did,  to  set  his  negroes  at 
work,  and  was  met  by  the  hostler,  who  had  an  ex- 
citing piece  of  news  to  communicate.  "  Misser  Gor- 
don," said  he,  "  Misser  Don's  hound  dogs  done  treed 
two  fellers  down  dar  in  de  quarter.  Dey's  been  dar 
all  de  blessed  night  top  o'  dat  ar  house ;  yes,  sar, 
dat's  what  dey  says,  sar  !" 

The  General  replied  that  if  the  two  fellows  had 
come  there  for  the  purpose  of  stealing,  he  was  glad 
of  it,  and  said  he  would  go  and  take  a  look  at  them. 
When  he  saw  them,  perhaps  he  would  know  where 
the  contents  of  his  smoke-house  had  been  going  lately. 
He  rode  down  to  the  quarters  as  soon  as  his  horse 
was  brought  out,  and  when  he  came  within  sight  of 
the  cabin  in  which  the  boys  kept  their  captured  quails, 
he  saw  two  persons  sitting  astride  of  the  ridge-pole 
and  Don's  hounds  gathered  about  the  building,  keep- 
ing guard  over  them.  The  General  could  scarcely 
believe  his  eyes,  although  when  he  came  to  recall 
several  little  things  which  Don  and  Bert  had  told 
him,  he  was  not  so  very  much  surprised  after  all. 
The  persons  whom  the  hounds  had  forced  to  take 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  247 

refuge  on  the  roof  of  the  cabin  were  boys ;  and  as 
soon  as  the  General  was  near  enough  to  them  to  dis- 
tinguish their  features,  he  saw  that  they  were  Lester 
Brigham  and  Bob  Owens. 


248  THE   BOY  TRAPPER. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

BOB'S   ASPIRATIONS. 

T  THINK  it  my  duty  to  inform  you  that  the  par- 
"  ties  to  whom  you  have  given  your  order  for  fifty 
dozen  live  quails  will  certainly  disappoint  you.  They 
did  not  seek  the  contract  for  themselves,  but  for  an- 
other person,  who  knows  nothing  whatever  about 
trapping,  and  who  is  much  too  indolent  to  put  forth 
the  necessary  exertion  if  he  did.  You  will  get  no 
birds  from  him.  If,  after  waiting  a  reasonable  time — 
I  should  think  two  weeks  would  be  long  enough — 
you  become  satisfied  of  this  fact,  I  shall  be  happy  to 
receive  your  order,  and  will  guarantee  you  satisfac- 
tion." 

This  was  a  rough  copy  of  the  letter  Lester  drew 
up  to  send  to  the  advertiser  in  the  "  Rod  and  6r?w," 
on  the  evening  of  the  day  on  which  he  held  that  in- 
terview with  Don  and  Bert,  when  the  former  refused 
to  join  his  sportsman's  club.  He  read  it  to  Bob  in 
his  best  style  and  was  astonished  when  his  friend 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  249 

declared  that  it  wouldn't  do  at  all.  You  seem  to 
forget  that  I  am  working  for  a  new  shot-gun,"  said 
Bob.  "  The  language  isn't  half  strong  enough." 

"  You  can't  improve  it  anywhere,"  replied  Lester, 
who  was  rather  proud  of  the  production.  "  Do  you 
want  me  to  abuse  Don  and  the  rest  ?  That  would 
be  poor  policy,  for  the  man  would  say  right  away 
that  we  were  jealous  of  them  and  trying  to  injure 
them.  I  have  told  him  that  he  will  get  no  birds 
from  David,  and  if  he  does,  it  will  be  our  fault." 

Bob  could  not  see  the  force  of  this  reasoning. 
There  was  so  much  at  stake  that  it  was  necessary 
they  should  do  everything  in  their  power  to  secure 
the  contract,  and  he  was  sure  it  would  help  matters 
if  a  few  hard  words  were  added  respecting  Don  and 
David.  So  they  were  put  in,  and  the  letter  was 
copied  and  dropped  into  the  post-office. 

After  that  Lester  took  up  his  abode  with  Bob 
Owens.  According  to  an  agreement  made  between 
them,  Bob  went  through  the  ceremony  of  sending  a 
note  to  Lester  by  a  negro  boy,  inviting  him  to  come 
over  and  spend  a  week  with  him,  bringing  his  horse 
and  gun,  and  they  would  have  a  fine  time  shooting 
turkeys  and  driving  the  ridges  for  deer.  This  ar- 
rangement enabled  the  two  conspirators  to  be  together 


250  THE  BOY  TRAPPER. 

day  and  night.  They  intended  to  pass  the  most  of 
their  time  in  riding  about  through  the  woods,  and 
if  a  deer  or  turkey  happened  to  come  in  their  way 
and  they  should  be  fortunate  enough  to  shoot  it,  so 
much  the  better ;  but  if  the  game  kept  out  of  their 
sight  they  would  not  spend  any  precious  moments  in 
looking  for  it.  Their  object  was  to  devote  themselves 
exclusively  to  destroying  all  David's  chances  for 
earning  the  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  They  would 
watch  him  closely,  and  when  they  found  out  where 
his  traps  were  set,  they  would  visit  them  daily,  and 
steal  every  quail  they  found  in  them. 

During  the  first  few  days  the  boys  spent  together 
they  found  out  two  things :  one  was  that  there  was 
a  pile  of  traps  in  the  yard  behind  Godfrey  Evans's 
cabin,  and  that  they  were  never  touched  except  when 
the  family  happened  to  be  in  want  of  kindling  wood. 
The  other  was,  that  David  left  home  bright  and 
early  every  morning  and  went  straight  to  General 
Gordon's.  What  he  did  after  he  got  there  they 
could  not  find  out.  They  would  always  wait  an 
hour  or  two  to  see  if  he  came  out  again,  and  then 
they  would  grow  tired  of  doing  nothing,  and  spend 
the  rest  of  the  day  searching  the  woods  and  brier- 
patches  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  cabin,  in  the  hope 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  251 

of  finding  some  of  David's  traps.  But  they  never 
found  a  single  one,  for  the  reason  that  they  were  all 
set  on  the  General's  plantation,  and  the  boys  never 
thought  of  looking  there  for  them. 

"  It's  my  opinion,"  said  Lester,  one  day,  when  the 
two  were  seated  at  a  camp-fire  in  the  woods,  broiling 
a  brace  of  squirrels  which  Bob  had  shot,  "  that  Da- 
vid has  given  it  up  as  a  bad  job  and  left  the  way 
clear  for  us." 

"  Hurrah  !"  shouted  Bob. 

"  Well — yes  ;  but  I'd  hurrah  louder  if  he  had  only 
set  a  dozen  or  two  traps  and  given  us  a  chance  to 
rob  them.  If  he'd  done  that,  we  might  have  had  a 
hundred  birds  on  hand  now.  The  best  thing  we  can 
do  is  to  set  our  own  traps  and  catch  the  quails  as 
fast  as  we  can.  We'll  keep  an  eye  on  David  all  the 
same,  however." 

This  programme  was  duly  carried  out — that  is, 
they  spent  the  rest  of  the  day  in  setting  their  traps, 
but  they  did  not  devote  any  more  time  to  watching 
David's  movements.  Two  incidents  happened  within 
a  few  hours  that  suggested  new  ideas  to  them,  and 
made  them  sure  that  at  last  they  had  the  game  in 
their  own  hands.  They  had  built  a  good  many  traps, 
and  having  no  mule  and  wagon  at  their  command, 


252  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

as  Don  Gordon  had,  it  took  them  all  the  rest  of  the 
day  to  set  them,  so  that  it  was  dark  by  the  time  they 
reached  home.  They  found  the  family  at  supper 
and  listening  with  great  interest  and  attention  to 
something  Mr.  Owens  was  saying. 

Mr.  Owens  was  like  Godfrey  Evans  in  two  respects. 
His  ideas  ran  just  as  far  ahead  of  his  income  as  God- 
frey's did,  and  he  hated  those  who  were  better  off  in 
the  world  than  himself.  Especially  did  he  dislike 
General  Gordon.  The  latter  was  looked  up  to  by 
all  the  best  people  as  the  leading  man  in  the  commu- 
nity, and  that  was  something  Mr.  Owens  could  not 
endure.  He  wanted  that  honor  himself ;  and  because 
he  could  not  have  it,  he  made  it  a  point  to  oppose 
and  injure  the  General  in  every  possible  way. 

"  What  do  you  think  Gordon  is  trying  to  do  now  ?" 
Mr.  Owens  asked,  just  as  the  boys  came  in  and  took 
their  seats  at  the  table.  "  Gardner's  mail  contract 
has  run  out,  and  as  he  doesn't  intend  to  put  in 
another  bid,  that  meddlesome  Silas  Jones  asked  the 
General  who  would  be  a  good  man  to  take  his  place  ; 
and  Gordon  hadn't  any  more  sense  than  to  recom- 
mend Dave  Evans." 

"Well,  of  all  the  things  I  ever  heard  of!"  ex- 
claimed Cob. 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  253 

"  That's  what  I  thought,"  continued  Mr.  Owens. 
"  I  heard  them  talking  about  it  at  the  post-office. 
Gordon  was  as  busy  as  a  candidate  on  election  day. 
He  was  going  around  speaking  to  all  the  men  about 
it,  and  asking  them  if  they  would  lend  their  influence 
to  secure  the  contract  for  David,  and,  although  I  put 
myself  in  his  way  two  or  three  times,  he  never  said  a 
word  to  me.  I  suppose  he  thought  my  influence 
didn't  amount  to  anything  one  way  or  the  other,  but 
perhaps  he'll  see  his  mistake  some  day." 

"  What's  the  pay,  father?"  asked  Bob. 

"  Thirty  dollars  a  month  was  Gardner's  bid,  and 
he  rode  the  route  only  twice  each  week.  But  he 
had  to  go  rain  or  shine.  How  would  you  like  it, 
Bob?" 

"  The  best  in  the  world !"  exclaimed  the  boy, 
eagerly.  "  Three  hundred  and  sixty  dollars  a 
year  !  Couldn't  I  sport  just  as  fine  a  hunting  and 
fishing  rig  as  anybody  ?  Can't  you  get  it  for  me, 
father?" 

"  I  was  thinking  about  it  on  the  way  home,  and 
I  made  up  my  mind  that  I  could  try.  Gordon 
thinks  he  holds  the  whole  state  of  Mississippi 
under  his  thumb,  but  he  hasn't  got  me  there." 


254  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

"Nor  my  father,  either,"  said  Lester.  "He'll 
help  you,  Mr.  Owens." 

"  I  was  counting  on  him.  When  I  send  in  the 
application,  I'll  have  to  send  a  bond  for  a  few  hun- 
dred dollars  with  it." 

"  Father  will  go  on  it,  if  I  ask  him,  and  I  will, 
for  I'll  do  anything  to  help  Bob  and  beat  that  beg- 
gar, Dave  Evans." 

The  conversation  continued  for  an  hour  or  more 
in  this  strain,  and  when  the  boys  had  heard  David 
and  all  his  friends  soundly  abused,  and  Bob  had 
provided  for  the  spending  of  every  cent  of  the 
money  he  would  earn  during  the  first  year  he  rode 
the  route,  if  his  father  succeeded  in  obtaining  the 
appointment  for  him,  he  and  Lester  went  out  to 
attend  to  their  horses  and  talk  the  matter  over  by 
themselves.  Bob  was  in  ecstacies ;  and  while  he 
was  counting  off  on  his  fingers  the  various  articles 
he  intended  to  purchase  with  his  wages,  Lester  sud- 
denly laid  his  hand  on  his  arm. 

"What's  that?"  said  he,  in  a  suppressed  whisper. 

Bob  looked  in  the  direction  indicated  by  his  com- 
panion, and  saw  a  dark  figure  creeping  stealthily 
along  the  fence.  His  actions  plainly  showed  that 
he  had  no  business  there,  and,  as  if  moved  by  a  com- 


THE   BOY   TRAPPEK.  255 

mon  impulse,  the  two  boys  dropped  to   the  ground 

V 

and  waited  to  see  what  he  was  going  to  do. 

"It's  some  thieving  nigger,"  whispered  Bob. 
"  If  he  lays  a  hand  on  anything  we'll  jump  up  and 
catch  him." 

"  Hadn't  I  better  go  into  the  house  and  call  your 
father?"  asked  Lester 

"  0,  no  ;  you  and  I  can  manage  him.  Do  you 
see  those  fence  pickets  over  there?  Well,  we'll 
sneak  up  and  get  one  apiece,  and  then  if  he  attempts 
any  resistance,  we  shall  be  ready  for  him." 

The  pickets,  of  which  Bob  spoke,  were  piled 
about  twenty  yards  nearer  to  the  barn  than  the  boys 
then  were,  and  they  succeeded  in  creeping  up  to 
them  and  arming  themselves  without  attracting  the 
notice  of  the  prowler.  The  latter  followed  the  fence 
until  he  reached  a  point  opposite  the  spot  where  the 
barn,  corn-cribs  and  other  out-buildings  were  lo- 
cated, and  there  he  stopped  to  survey  the  ground 
before  him.  Having  made  sure  that  there  was  no 
one  in  sight,  he  moved  quickly  toward  the  smoke- 
house and  tried  the  door. 

"I  don't  think  you'll  make  much  there,  my 
friend,"  whispered  Bob.  "  That  door  is  locked." 

The  prowler  found  it  so,  and  after  a  few  ineffectual 


256  THE   BOY  TRAPPER. 

attempts  to  force  it  open  by  pushing  with  his  shoulder 
against  it,  he  faced  about  and  disappeared  in  the 
barn.  While  the  boys  were  trying  to  make  up  their 
ininds  whether  or  not  they  ought  to  run  up  and  cor- 
ner him  there,  he  came  out  again,  and  he  did  not 
come  empty-handed  either.  He  carried  a  bag  of 
meal  on  his  shoulder — the  one  Mr.  Owens  had  put 
in  the  barn  that  morning  for  the  use  of  his  horses — 
and  in  his  hand  something  that  looked  like  a  stick 
of  stove-wood ;  but  it  was  in  reality  a  strong  iron 
strap,  which  he  had  found  in  the  barn  and  which  he 
intended  to  use  to  force  an  entrance  into  the  smoke- 
house. He  deposited  his  bag  of  meal  upon  the 
ground,  set  to  work  upon  the  hasp  with  his  lever 
and  in  a  few  minutes  more  the  door  swung  open. 

"Now  is  our  time,"  whispered  Bob,  as  the  robber 
disappeared  in  the  smoke-house.  "  Stand  by  me 
and  we'll  have  a  prisoner  when  we  go  back  to  the 
house." 

Lester  would  have  been  very  glad  indeed  to  have 
had  some  excuse  for  remaining  in  his  place  of  con- 
cealment, and  allowing  his  companion  to  go  on  and 
capture  the  robber  alone  ;  but  he  could  not  think  of 
any,  and  when  Bob  jumped  up  and  ran  toward  the 
smoke-house,  Lester  followed  him,  taking  care,  how- 


THE   BOY  TRAPPER.  257 

ever,  to  regulate  his  pace  so  that  his  friend  could 
keep  about  ten  or  fifteen  feet  in  advance  of  him. 
Bob,  who  was  in  earnest  and  not  in  the  least  alarmed, 
moved  with  noiseless  footsteps,  while  Lester,  pre- 
ferring to  let  the  robber  escape  rather  than  face  him 
with  no  better  weapon  than  a  fence  picket  in  his 
hand,  made  all  the  noise  he  conveniently  could,  hop- 
ing that  the  man  would  take  the  alarm  and  run  out 
of  the  smoke-house  before  they  could  reach  it.  But 
the  thief  was  so  busily  engaged  that  he  did  not  hear 
their  approach,  and  never  dreamed  of  danger  until 
the  boys  halted  in  front  of  the  door  and  ordered  him 
to  come  out  and  give  himself  up.  We  ought  rather 
to  say  that  Bob  halted  in  front  of  the  door  and  boldly 
stood  his  ground  there,  while  Lester  took  care  to 
shelter  himself  behind  the  building,  and  showed  only 
the  top  of  his  cap  to  the  robber. 

"  We've  got  you  now,  you  rascal !"  exclaimed 
Bob,  bringing  his  club  against  the  side  of  the  smoke- 
house with  a  sounding  whack.  "  Come  out  and  sur- 
render yourself,  or  we'll  come  in  and  take  you 
out." 

"  Yes,"  chimed  in  Lester,  in  a  trembling  voice,  at 
the  same  time  hitting  the  building  a  very  feeble  blow 
with  his  fence  picket.  "Come  out,  and  be  quick 
17 


258  THE   BOY   TRAPPEK. 

about  it.     There  are  a  dozen  of  us  here,  enough  to 

make " 

Lester  finished  the  sentence  with  a  prolonged 
shriek  of  terror,  for  just  then  something  that  seemed 
to  move  with  the  speed  and  power  of  a  lightning 
express  train,  dashed  out  of  the  intense  darkness 
which  concealed  all  objects  in  the  interior  of  the 
smoke-house,  and  Lester  received  a  glancing  blow  on 
the  shoulder  that  floored  him  on  the  instant.  While 
the  latter  was  calling  upon  the  robber  to  surrender, 
Bob  heard  a  slight  rustling  in  the  smoke-house,  and 
knowing  very  well  what  it  meant,  he  jumped  back 
out  of  the  door-way,  and  raised  his  club  in  readiness 
to  strike ;  but  the  thief  was  out  and  gone  before  he 
could  think  twice.  The  instant  the  robber  landed 
on  his  feet  outside  the  door,  he  turned  toward  the 
place  where  he  had  left  his  bag  of  meal  and  happened 
to  come  into  collision  with  Lester,  who  went  down 
with  a  jar  that  made  him  think  every  bone  in  his 
body  was  broken.  It  was  a  minute  or  two  before  he 
could  collect  his  scattered  wits  and  raise  himself  to 
his  feet,  and  then  he  found  that  he  was  alone.  Bob 
was  scudding  across  the  field  in  pursuit  of  the  robber, 
svho  carried  a  side  of  bacon  on  one  shoulder  and  the 
bag  of  meal  on  the  other ;  but  burdened  as  he  was 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  259 

he  ran  quite  fast  enough  to  distance  Bob,  who  pre- 
sently came  back  to  the  smoke-house,  panting  and 
almost  exhausted.  . 

"Is  he  gone?"  asked  Lester,  who  was  groping 
about  on  the  groud  in  search  of  his  club. 

"  I  should  say  he  was,"  Bob  managed  to  reply. 
"  He  ran  like  a  deer.  He  knocked  you  flatter  than 
a  pancake,  didn't  he?" 

"  He  didn't  hurt  me  as  badly  as  I  hurt  him,"  said 
Lester.  "  Did  you  hear  my  club  ring  on  his  head  ?" 

"No,  but  I  heard  you  yell.  You  didn't  strike 
him." 

"  What's  the  reason  I  didn't  ?  I  did,  too,  but  it 
must  have  been  a  glancing  blow,  for  if  I  had  hit  him 
fairly,  I  should  have  knocked  him  flatter  than  he 
knocked  me.  I  yelled  just  to  frighten  him." 

"  I  guess  you  succeeded,  for  I  never  saw  a  man 
run  as  he  did.  He  got  away,  and  he  took  the  meal 
and  bacon  with  him.  They'll  not  do  him  any  good, 
however,  for  he'll  be  in  the  calaboose  by  this  time 
to-morrow,  if  there  are  men  enough  in  the  settlement 
to  find  him.  I  know  him." 

"  You  do  ?     Who  was  he  ?" 

"  Godfrey  Evans.  He's  been  hiding  in  the  cane 
ever  since  he  an(J  Clarence  Gordon  got  into  tha.t 


260  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

scrape,  and  no  one  has  ever  troubled  him.  But 
somebody  will  trouble  him  now.  I'll  tell  my  father 
of  it  the  first  thing.  I  wonder  how  Dave  will  feel 
when  he  sees  his  father  arrested  and  packed  off  to 
jail  ?" 

"  I  wouldn't  do  anything  of  the  kind,  if  I  were 
you,"  said  Lester. 

"You  wouldn't?"  cried  Bob,  greatly  astonished. 
"  Well,  I  won't  let  this  chance  to  be  revenged  on 
Dave  slip  by  unimproved,  now  I  tell  "you." 

"  We  can  take  revenge  in  a  better  way  than  that. 
We've  got  just  as  good  a  hold  on  him  now  as  we 
want,  and  we'll  make  him  promise  that  he  will  make 
no  effort  to  catch  those  quails." 

"0,  I  am  no  longer  interested  in  that  quail  busi- 
ness," said  Bob,  loftily.  "  I'd  rather  have  three 
hundred  and  sixty  dollars  than  seventy-five." 

"  But  you  must  remember  that  you  haven't  been 
appointed  mail  carrier  yet,  so  you  are  by  no  means 
sure  of  your  three  hundred  and  sixty  dollars.  And 
even  if  you  were,  it  would  be  worth  your  while  to 
earn  the  seventy-five  dollars,  if  you  could,  for  that 
amount  of  money  isn't  to  be  found  on  every  bush." 

Lester  went  on  to  tell  his  friend  of  a  bright  idea 
that  had  just  then  occurred  to  him,  and  before  he 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  261 

had  fully  explained  how  the  events  of  the  night 
could  be  made  to  benefit  them,  he  had  won  Bob 
over  to  his  way  of  thinking.  The  latter  promised 
that  he  would  say  nothing  to  his  father  about  the 
theft  of  which  Godfrey  had  been  guilty,  until  he 
and  Lester  had  first  told  David  of  it  and  noted  the 
effect  it  had  upon  him.  If  they  could  work  upon 
his  feelings  sufficiently  to  induce  him  to  give  up  the 
idea  of  trapping  the  quails,  well  and  good.  God- 
frey might  have  the  meal  and  bacon,  and  welcome. 
But  if  David  was  still  obstinate  and  refused  to  listen 
to  reason,  they  would  punish  him  by  putting  the 
officers  of  the  law  on  his  father's  track. 

"  It  is  a  splendid  plan  and  it  will  work,  I  know 
it  will,"  exclaimed  Bob,  in  great  glee.  "It  will  be 
some  time  before  my  appointment — those  folks  in 
Washington  move  very  slowly — and  while  I  am 
waiting  for  it,  I  may  as  well  make  seventy-five  dol- 
lars. I  can  get  my  shot-gun  with  it,  and  spend  my 
three  hundred  and  sixty  for  the  other  things  I 
need." 

Bob  slept  but  little  that  night  for  excitement,  and 
dreaming  about  the  glorious  things  that  might  be  in 
store  for  him,  kept  him  awake.  He  and  .Lester 
were  up  long  before  the  sun,  and  as  soon  as  they 


262  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

had  eaten  breakfast,  they  mounted  their  horses  and 
rode  off  in  the  direction  of  Godfrey  Evans's  house. 
Early  as  it  was  when  they  arrived  there,  they  found 
the  cabin  deserted  by  all  save  Dan,  who  sat  on  the 
bench  by  the  door.  David  was  hastening  through 
the  woods  toward  his  father's  camp,  intent  on  find- 
ing the  pointer,  and  Mrs.  Evans  had  gone  to  her 
daily  labor. 

"  He's  just  went  over  to  the  General's  house, 
Dave  has,"  said  Dan,  in  reply  to  a  question  from 
Lester;  and  he  thought  he  told  the  truth,  for  we 
know  that  David  went  in  that  direction  on  purpose 
to  mislead  his  brother.  "Yes,  he's  went  up  thar, 
an'  'tain't  no  ways  likely  that  he'll  be  to  hum  afore 
dark." 

The  visitors  turned  their  horses  about  and  rode 
away,  and  as  soon  as  they  were  out  of  sight  of  the 
cabin,  they  struck  into  the  woods  to  make  one  more 
effort  to  find  David's  traps,  if  he  had  set  any.  But, 
as  usual,  they  met  with  no  success,  and  Lester  again 
gave  it  as  his  opinion,  that  David  had  no  intention 
of  trying  to  trap  the  quails.  Bob  thought  so  too ; 
but  in  less  than  half  an  hour,  they  received  positive 
proof  that  they  were  mistaken.  They  were  riding 
around  the  rear  of  one  of  the  General's  fields,  on 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  263 

their  way  home,  "when  they  happened  to  cast  their 
eyes  through  the  bushes  that  lined  the  fence,  and 
saw  something  that  surprised  them  greatly,  and 
caused  them  to  draw  rein  at  once.  There  was  a 
wagon  in  the  field,  and  Don  and  Bert  Gordon  were 
passing  back  and  forth  between  it  and  a  little  thicket 
of  bushes  and  briers  that  stood  a  short  distance 
away.  They  left  the  wagon  with  empty  hands,  and 
when  they  came  back,  they  brought  their  arms  full 
of  something,  which  they  stowed  away  in  a  box. 
While  Lester  and  Bob  were  looking  at  them,  a 
small,  dark  object  suddenly  arose  from  the  box  and 
came  toward  them,  passing  swiftly  over  their  heads 
and  disappearing  in  the  woods. 

"  That's  a  quail !"  exclaimed  Bob.  "  It  escaped 
from  Don's  hands." 

"  Yes,  sir,  and  we  have  made  a  discovery,"  said 
Lester.  "  Dave  Evans  hasn't  given  up  trapping 
the  quails  after  all.  He's  catching  them  every  day, 
and  Don  and  Bert  are  helping  him." 

"It's  just  like  them,"  replied  Bob,  in  great  dis- 
gust. "  They're  always  poking  their  noses  into 
other  people's  business.  But  I  don't  feel  as  badly 
over  it  as  I  did  a  short  time  ago." 

*'  I  know  what  you  are  counting  on.     You  are  as 


264  THE    BOY    TKAPPER. 

sure  of  that  mail  carrier's  berth  as  you  would  be  if 
you  were  to  ride  the  route  for  the  first  time  to-day ; 
but  if  you  should  happen  to  slip  up  on  it,  you'd  be 
glad  to  have  the  seventy-five  dollars  to  fall  back 
on." 

"0,  I  am  willing  to  work  for  it,"  replied  Bob, 
quickly,  "not  only  because  I  want  it  myself,  but 
because  I  don't  want  Dave  Evans  to  have  it.  What's 
to  be  done?" 

"  That  trap  must  have  been  as  full  as  it  could 
hold,"  said  Lester,  thoughtfully.  "  They  have  made 
five  or  six  trips  between  the  wagon  and  that  clump 
of  bushes  since  we  have  been  here.  We  know  where 
one  of  the  traps  is  set  now,  and  that  will  guide  us  in 
finding  the  rest.  When  we  do  find  them,  we'll  carry 
out  our  plan  of  robbing  them  every  day.  They  must 
have  trapped  some  birds  before,  and  if  we  watch  them 
when  they  go  home  we  can  find  out  where  they  keep 
them.  What  do  you  say  to  that?" 

Bob  replied  that  he  was  willing,  and  so  the  two 
dismounted,  and  having  hitched  their  horses,  set 
themselves  to  watch  the  wagon.  They  followed  it 
at  a  respectful  distance,  as  it  made  the  rounds  of  the 
traps  (they  did  not  know  that  they  also  were  followed 
by  somebody,  who  kept  a  sharp  eye  on  all  their  move- 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  265 

ments),  and  Bob  grew  angry  every  time  he  saw  more 
quails  added  to  those  already  in  the  coop. 

"  Those  fellows  are  always  lucky,"  he  growled. 
"  I'll  warrant  that  if  we  visit  those  traps  we  set  yes- 
terday, we'll  not  find  a  single  bird  in  them.  Don 
and  Bert  are  hauling  them  in  by  dozens." 

"  So  much  the  better  for  us,"  returned  his  com- 
panion. "Every  quail  they  catch  makes  it  just  so 
much  easier  for  us  to  earn  seventy-five  dollars 
apiece." 

Bob,  feeling  somewhat  mollified  by  this  view  of 
the  case,  turned  his  attention  to  Don  and  his  brother, 
who,  having  visited  all  their  traps  by  this  time, 
climbed  into  the  wagon  and  drove  toward  home. 


266  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

DON'S    HOUNDS   TREE    SOMETHING. 

ESTER  and  his  companion  followed  the  wagon 
at  a  safe  distance  and  saw  it  driven  to  the  negro 
quarters,  which  were  located  about  half  a  mile  below 
the  General's  house.  It  stopped  in  front  of  one  of 
the  cabins,  and  Don  and  Bert  began  the  work  of 
transferring  the  quails  from  the  coop  to  the  building 
in  which  they  were  to  remain  until  they  were  sent 
up  the  river.  Bob  and  Lester  counted  the  number 
of  trips  they  made  between  the  wagon  and  the  door 
of  the  cabin,  and  made  a  rough  estimate  of  the  num- 
ber of  birds  they  had  caught  that  morning. 

"They've  got  at  least  a  hundred,"  said  Lester, 
when  the  wagon  was  driven  toward  the  house,  "  and 
that  is  just  one-sixth  of  the  number  they  want.  At 
that  rate  that  beggar  Dave  will  be  rich  in  a  week 
more." 

"  Not  if  we  can  help  it !"  exclaimed  Bob,  angrily. 
"  That  cabin  will  burn  as  well  as  the  shooting-box 
did!" 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  267 

"  But  we  don't  want  to  do  too  much  of  that  sort 
of  work,"  answered  Lester.  "  We  may  get  the  set- 
tlement aroused,  and  that  wouldn't  suit  us.  I'd 
rather  steal  the  birds,  wouldn't  you  ?" 

Bob  replied  that  he  would,  but  hinted  that  if  they 
attempted  it  they  might  have  a  bigger  job  on  their 
hands  than  they  had  bargained  for.  In  the  first 
place,  there  were  Don's  hounds. 

"But  we  braved  them  once — that  was  on  the 
night  we  borrowed  Don's  boat  to  go  up  and  burn  his 
shooting-box — and  we  are  not  afraid  to  do  it  again,'* 
said  Lester.  "  We  didn't  alarm  them  then." 

Bob  acknowledged  the  fact,  but  said  he  was  afraid 
they  might  not  be  so  lucky  the  next  time.  And 
even  if  they  succeeded  in  breaking  into  the  cabin 
without  arousing  the  dogs,  how  were  they  to  carry 
away  a  hundred  live  quails  ?  The  only  thing  they 
could  do  would  be  to  put  them  in  bags,  and  it  was 
probable  that  half  of  them  would  die  for  want  of  air 
before  they  could  get  them  home.  They  would  be 
obliged  to  make  two  or  three  trips  to  the  cabin  in 
order  to  secure  them  all,  and  each  time  they  would 
run  the  risk  of  being  discovered  by  the  hounds. 

While  the  two  friends  were  talking  these  matters 
over,  they  were  walking  slowly  toward  the  place 


268  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

where  they  had  left  their  horses.  Having  mounted, 
they  started  for  home  again,  and  the  very  first  person 
they  saw  when  they  rode  out  of  the  woods  into  the 
road  was  David  Evans,  who  had  just  been  up  to  the 
shop  to  restore  the  pointer  to  his  owner. 

"  There  he  is  !"  said  Bob,  in  a  low  whisper.  "  lie 
is  dressed  up  in  his  best,  too." 

"  Best  !"  sneered  Lester.  "Why,  I  wouldn't  be 
seen  at  work  in  the  fields  in  such  clothes  as  those !" 

"  Nor  in  any  other,  I  guess.  They  are  the  best 
he  can  afford,"  said  Bob,  who  had  some  soft  spots  in 
his  heart,  if  he  was  a  bad  boy,  "  and  I  don't  believe 
in  making  fun  of  him." 

"You  believe  in  cheating  him  out  of  a  nice 
little  sum  of  money  though,  if  you  can,"  retorted 
Lester. 

"  No,  I  don't.  I  am  working  to  keep  him  from 
cheating  me  out  of  it.  If  he  will  keep  his  place 
among  the  niggers,  where  fellows  of  his  stamp  belong, 
I'll  be  the  last  one  to  say  or  do  anything  against 
him  ;  but  when  he  tries  to  shove  himself  up  among 
white  folks,  and  swindle  me  out  of  a  new  shot-gun 
and  get  appointed  mail  carrier  over  my  head,  it's 
something  I  won't  stand.  Say,  Dave,"  he  added, 
drawing  rein,  as  the  subject  of  his  remarks  ap- 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  269 

preached,  "  can  you  spare  us  just  about  two  minutes 
for  a  little  private  conversation  ?" 

"  I  reckon,"  replied  David.  "  Have  you  joined 
that  sportsman's  club,  and  are  you  Qoiug  to  prosecute 
me  for  being  a  pot-hunter  ?" 

"  Lester  has  already  told  you  what  we  are  going 
to  do  about  that,  and  you  may  rest  assured  that  we 
shall  do  it,"  answered  Bob,  sharply.  "  What  we 
say,  we  always  stand  to.  What  we  want  to  talk  to 
you  about  now  is  this :  We  know,  as  well  as  you  do, 
that  your  father  is  hiding  out  here  in  the  cane,  and 
that  he  dare  not  show  himself  in  the  settlement  for 
fear  he  will  be  arrested.  You  wouldn't  like  to  see 
him  sent  to  jail,  would  you  ?" 

"  I  know  what  you  mean,"  replied  David.  "  My 
father  may  have  been  foolish,  but  he  has  done  noth- 
ing that  the  law  can  touch  him  for." 

When  he  said  this  he  was  thinking  of  Clarence 
Gordon  and  the  barrel  with  the  eighty  thousand  dol- 
lars in  it.  He  did  not  know  that  Godfrey  was  guilty 
of  highway  robbery,  and  he  forgot  that  he  had  also 
committed  an  assault  upon  Don,  and  that  he  had 
received  and  cared  for  stolen  property,  knowing  it 
to  be  stolen. 

"  Hasn't  he,  though  !"  cried  Bob.     "  He  got  into 


270  THE    BOY    TKAPPER. 

my  father's  smoke-house  last  night  and  stole  some 
meal  and  bacon.  He  forced  a  lock  to  do  it,  too. 
The  law  can  touch  him  for  that,  can't  it?" 

David  leaned  against  the  fence  and  looked  at  the 
two  boys  without  speaking.  He  did  not  doubt  Bob's 
story.  He  had  been  expecting  to  hear  of  such 
things  for  a  long  time.  He  had  told  himself  more 
than  once  that  when  his  father  grew  tired  of  living 
on  squirrels,  somebody's  smoke-house  and  corn-crib 
would  be  sure  to  suffer.  Godfrey  was  getting  worse 
every  day,  and  something  told  David  that  he  would 
yet  perform  an  act  that  would  set  every  man  in  the 
settlement  on  his  track. 

"We  can  send  him  to  prison,"  continued  Bob. 
"You  would  not  like  that,  of  course,  and  you  can 
prevent  it;  if  you  feel  like  it.  Lester  and  I  are  the 
only  ones  who  know  that  he  robbed  my  father  last 
night,  and  we  will  keep  it  to  ourselves  on  one  condi- 
tion." 

"  I  know  what  it  is,"  said  JDavid.  "You  want 
me  to  promise  that  I  will  trap  no  more  quails.  Per- 
haps you  want  the  money  yourselves." 

"That's  the  very  idea,"  said  Lester. 

"  It  isn't  the  money  we  care  about,"  exclaimed 
Bob,  quickly.  "  We've  set  out  to  put  down  this 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  271 

business  of  trapping  birds  and  shipping  them  out  of 
the  country,  and  we're  going  to  do  it.  You  think 
that  because  Don  and  Bert  are  backing  you  up,  you 
can  do  just  as  you  please;  but  we'll  show  you  that 
they  don't  run  this  settlement.  You're  getting  above 
your  business,  Dave,  and  it  is  high  time  you  were 
taught  a  lesson  you  will  remember  the  longest  day 
you  live.  What  do  you  say  ?  Will  you  trap  any 
more  quails?" 

"  Yes,  I  will,"  replied  David,  without  an  instant's 
hesitation. 

"  Don't  forget  that  we  can  put  the  constable  on 
your  father's  track  to-morrow  morning,"  said  Bob, 
his  voice  trembling  with  rage. 

"  I  wasn't  thinking  of  my  father.  He  has  made 
his  bed  and  he  must  lie  in  it.  I  was  thinking  of  my 
mother.  She  must  have  something  to  eat  and  wear 
this  winter,  and  how  is  she  to  get  it,  if  I  give  up 
this  chance  of  making  a  little  money  ?" 

"  Just  listen  to  you,  now  !"  Bob  almost  shouted. 
"  One  would  think  to  hear  you  talk  that  you  are 
used  to  handling  greenbacks  by  the  bushel.  You 
are  a  pretty  looking  ragamuffin  to  call  a  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars  '  a  little  money,'  are  you  not  ?  It's 
more  than  your  old  shantee  and  all  you've  got  in  it 


272  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

are  worth.  Go  on  !"  he  yelled,  shaking  his  riding 
whip  at  David,  as  the  latter  hurried  down  the  road 
toward  home.  "  I'll  send  you  word  when  to  come 
down  to  the  landing  and  see  your  father  go  off  to 
jail." 

"  I  never  saw  such  independence  exhibited  by  a 
fellow  in  his  circumstances,"  said  Lester,  as  he  and 
Bob  rode  away  together.  "  One  would  think  he  was 
worth  a  million  dollars." 

"  He  thinks  he  will  soon  be  worth  a  hundred  and 
fifty,  and  that's  what  ails  him,"  answered  Bob,  whose 
face  was  pale  with  fury.  "  But  there's  many  a  slip 
'twixt  the  cup  and  the  lip,  as.  he  will  find  before  he 
is  many  days  older.  I'll  tell  my  father  to-night 
what  Godfrey  Evans  did,  and  as  soon  as  it  grows 
dark  we'll  go  down  to  that  cabin  and  carry  off  all  the 
birds  we  can  catch.  The  rest  we  will  liberate." 

A  part  of  this  programme  was  duly  carried  out. 
As  soon  as  they  reached  home  Bob  told  his  father 
what  had  happened  the  night  before,  and  was  a  good 
deal  surprised  as  well  as  disgusted,  because  Mr.  Owens 
did  not  grow  very  angry,  and  declare  that  Godfrey 
should  be  punished  to  the  full  extent  of  the  law. 

"  A  bag  of  meal  and  a  side  of  bacon  are  hardly 
worth  making  a  fuss  about,"  said  Bob's  father.  "  I 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  273 

will  put  a  new  lock  on  the  smoke-house.  But  how 
does  it  come  that  you  boys  did  not  tell  me  of  this  at 
once  ?" 

"  Because  we  wanted  to  make  something  out  of 
it,"  replied  Bob.  "  If  it  hadn't  been  for  Dave,  Les- 
ter and  I  would  have  pocketed  a  nice  little  sum  of 
spending  money  ;  but  he's  gone  and  got  the  job  of 
trapping  the  quails,  or  rather  that  meddlesome  Don 
Gordon  got  it  for  him,  and,  not  satisfied  with  that, 
he  has  the  cheek  to  run  against  me  when  I  am  trying 
to  be  appointed  mail  carrier." 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Owens. 

"Well,"  repeated  Bob,  "I  told  him  his  father 
was  a  thief,  and  I  could  prove  it,  but  I  would  say 
nothing  about  it  if  he  would  agree  not  to  trap  any 
more  quails.  If  he  had  done  that,  I  should  have 
brought  up  this  matter  of  carrying  the  mail,  and 
made  him  promise  to  leave  me  a  clear  field  there, 
too;  but  he  wouldn't  listen  to  anything." 

"  I  am  glad  you  told  me  this,"  said  Mr.  Owens, 
after  thinking  a  moment,  "and  it  is  just  as  well  that 
you  did  not  say  anything  to  David  about  the  mail. 
No  one  knows  that  I  am  going  to  put  in  a  bid  for 
the  contract,  and  I  don't  want  it  known ;  so  be  care- 
tul  what  you  say.  Gordon  will  never  get  that  mail 
18 


274  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

route  for  David,  for  the  authorities  will  think  twice 
before  appointing  the  son  of  a  thief  to  so  responsible 
a  situation." 

"  But  are  you  going  to  do  nothing  to  Godfrey  ?" 
"  I'll  keep  him  in  mind,  and  if  it  becomes  neces- 
sary I'll  put  the  constable  after  him,  and  tell  him 
that  the  more  fuss  he  makes  in  capturing  him,  the 
better  it  will  suit  me." 

The  first  thing  the  two  boys  did  after  they  had 
eaten  their  dinner,  was  to  fit  up  one  of  the  unoccupied 
negro  cabins  for  the  reception  of  the  birds  they 
intended  to  steal  that  night.  There  were  a  good 
many  holes  to  be  patched  in  the  roof  where  the 
shingles  had  been  blown  off,  and  numerous  others  to 
be  boarded  up  in  the  walls  where  the  chinking  had 
fallen  out,  and  the  afternoon  was  half  gone  before 
their  work  was  done.  They  still  had  time  to  visit 
their  traps,  but  all  the  birds  they  took  out  of  them 
could  have  been  counted  on  the  fingers  of  one  hand. 
Bob  looked  at  them  a  moment,  then  thought  of  the 
big  box  full  he  had  seen  Don  and  Bert  take  home 
that  morning,  and  grew  very  angry  over  his  ill  luck. 
He  proposed  to  wring  the  necks  of  the  captives  and 
have  them  served  up  for  breakfast  the  next  morning, 
but  Lester  would  not  consent.  Every  one  helped,  he 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  275 

said,  and  these  five  birds,  added  to  the  forty  or  fifty 
they  were  to  steal  that  night,  would  make  a  good 
start  toward  the  fifty  dozen  they  wanted. 

After  the  boys  had  eaten  supper,  they  secured  four 
meal  bags,  which  they  hid  away  in  a  fence  corner,  so 
that  they  could  find  them  again  when  they  wanted 
them,  and  then  adjourned  to  the  wagon-shed  to  lay 
their  plans  for  the  night's  campaign.  Of  course 
their  expedition  could  not  be  undertaken  until  every- 
body about  the  General's  plantation  was  abed  and 
asleep.  That  would  not  be  before  ten  or  twelve 
o'clock — the  negroes  kept  late  hours  since  they 
gained  their  freedom,  Bob  said — and  they  dared  not 
go  to  sleep  for  fear  that  they  would  not  awake  again 
before  morning.  They  hardly  knew  what  to  do  with 
themselves  until  bed  time  came.  They  spent  an 
hour  in  talking  over  their  plans,  then  went  into  the 
house  and  played  checkers,  and  were  glad  indeed 
when  the  hour  for  retiring  arrived.  They  made  a 
show  of  going  to  bed,  but  they  removed  nothing  but 
their  boots,  which  they  slammed  down  on  the  floor 
with  more  noise  than  usual.  They  heard  the  clock 
in  the  kitchen  strike  every  hour,  and  when  it  struck 
twelve  they  began  to  bestir  themselves. 

Bob's  room  being  located  on  the  first  floor,  in  one 


276  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

of  the  wings  of  the  house,  it  was  a  matter  of  no 
difficulty  for  him  and  his  companion  to  leave  it  with- 
out arousing  any  of  the  family.  All  they  had  to 
do  was  to  open  one  of  the  windows,  drop  to  the 
ground,  pull  on  their  boots  and  be  off';  and  this 
they  did  in  about  the  same  time  that  it  takes  to  tell 
it.  They  picked  up  their  meal  bags  as  they  passed 
along  the  fence,  and  in  half  an  hour  more  were 
inside  General  Gordon's  fence,  and  moving  cau- 
tiously along  the  lane  that  led  toward  the  negro 
quarters.  A  few  steps  brought  them  into  the  midst 
of  the  cabins,  which  were  as  dark  and  silent  as 
though  they  had  been  deserted.  Some  of  them 
were  deserted,  while  others  were  occupied  by  the 
field  hands.  The  one  in  which  the  quails  were  con- 
fined stood  on  the  outskirts  of  the  quarters,  and 
Bob,  who  had  taken  particular  pains  to  mark  the 
building,  so  that  he  would  know  it  again,  had  no 
difficulty  in  finding  it.  It  was  the  only  cabin  that 
was  provided  with  a  covered  porch ;  and  that  same 
porch,  or  rather  the  posts  which  supported  the  roof, 
came  very  handy  to  the  young  prowlers  a  few  min- 
utes later.  They  walked  around  the  building  two 
or  three  times  to  make  sure  that  there  was  no  one 
near  it,  and  then  Bob  cautiously  mounted  the  steps 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  277 

and  tried  the  door.  The  patter  of  little  feet  and 
the  shrill  notes  of  alarm  that  sounded  from  the 
inside  told  him  that  he  had  aroused  the  prisoners. 

"Just  listen  to  that,"  whispered  Lester,  greatly 
amazed.  "  The  cabin  must  be  full  of  them." 

"  We'll  soon  know  how  many  there  are,'r  answered 
Bob.  "I'd  give  something  if  I  could  see  Don  Gor- 
don's face  when  he  comes  down  here  in  the 
morning." 

As  Bob  spoke,  he  opened  one  of  the  meal  bags 
and  drew  from  it  the  iron  strap,  which  Godfrey 
Evans  had  used  in  prying  open  the  door  of  the 
smoke-house  two  nights  before.  Lester  struck  a 
match  on  his  coat  sleeve,  and  when  it  blazed  up,  so 
that  Bob  could  see  how  to  work,  he  placed  the  strap 
between  the  hasp  and  the  door,  and  exerted  all  his 
strength  in  the  effort  to  draw  out  the  staple  with 
which  it  was  confined.  But  that  staple  was  put 
there  to  stay.  It  was  made  by  the  plantation  black- 
smith under  Don's  personal  supervision,  and  as  it 
was  long  enough  to  be  clinched  on  the  inside  of  the 
door,  Bob  made  no  progress  whatever  in  his  efforts 
to  force  an  entrance. 

"  We  can  do  nothing  here,"  said  he,  after  he  had 
pulled  and  pushed  until  the  inside  of  his  hands 


278  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

seemed  to  be  on  fire.  "We  must  try  the  win- 
dow." 

"But  that  is  so  high  you  can't  reach  it,"  said 
Lester. 

"  Not  from  the  ground,  I  know.  You  will  hav^ 
to  hold  me  up." 

Descending  from  the  porch  with  noiseless  foot- 
steps, the  boys  passed  around  to  the  rear  of  the 
cabin,  and  when  Lester  had  stationed  himself  undei 
the  window,  Bob  quickly  mounted  to  his  shoulders. 
He  examined  the  window  as  well  as  he  could  in  the 
dark,  and  began  to  grow  discouraged.  It  was 
boarded  up  with  two-inch  planks,  and  they  were 
held  in  their  places  by  the  largest  spikes  Don  could 
find  at  Mr.  Jones's  store.  Bob  pushed  his  lever 
under  one  of  the  planks,  but  when  he  laid  out  his 
strength  upon  it,  Lester  rocked  about  in  so  alarming 
a  manner,  that  Bob  lost  his  balance,  and  to  save 
himself  from  falling,  jumped  to  the  ground. 

"  We  might  as  well  go  home,"  said  he,  rubbing 
his  elbow,  which,  owing  to  Lester's  unsteadiness,  he 
had  scratched  pretty  severely  on  the  rough  planks. 
"  If  we  only  had  a  bundle  of  straw  we'd  start  a  bon- 
fire." 

"  It's  a  pity  to  go  home  and  leave  all  these  birds 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  279 

here,"  replied  Lester.  "  Let's  get  up  on  the  roof 
and  tear  off  some  of  the  shingles.  We  can  climb  up 
by  those  posts  that  support  the  roof  of  the  porch." 

"  0,  it  is  easy  enough  to  get  up  there,  but  what 
good  will  it  do  to  tear  off  the  shingles  ?  We  couldn't 
get  the  birds  out  unless  one  of  us  went  down  after 
them,  and  it  wouldn't  be  me,  I  tell  you !" 

"We'll  not  try  to  get  the  birds  at  all.  We'll 
leave  the  holes  open  so  that  they  can  escape. 
Wouldn't  that  be  better  than  allowing  them  to  stay 
here  for  Dave  Evans  to  make  money  out  of?" 

"  I  should  say  it  would,"  exclaimed  Bob,  who 
always  grew  angry  whenever  anything  was  said  about 

• 

David's  chances  of  making  money.  "  But  we'll  first 
make  one  more  effort  to  get  the  birds  ourselves. 
Hold  me  up  again  and  don't  wobble  about  as  you 
did  before." 

In  a  few  seconds  more  Bob  was  again  perched 
upon  his  companion's  shoulders,  and  this  time  he 
was  sure  that  his  efforts  would  be  crowned  with  suc- 
cess. The  planks  were  fastened  to  the  window  cas- 
ing, which,  on  one  side,  was  too  badly  decayed  to  hold 
the  spikes.  He  started  some  of  them  with  the  first 
pull  he  made  at  his  lever,  and,  encouraged  by  his 
progress,  was  about  to  prepare  for  a  greater  effort, 


280  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

when   Lester  uttered  an  exclamation  of  alarm  and 
jumped  from  under  him. 

"  Great  Moses  !"  exclaimed  Bob,  who  came  to  the 
ground  with  fearful  violence.  "  Do  you  want  to  kill 
a  fellow  ?" 

"No,"  said  Lester,  whose  voice  trembled  so  that 
it  was  almost  inaudible.  "  There's  somebody  com- 
ing!" 

Before  Bob  could  ask  any  more  questions,  a  loud, 
shrill  whistle,  which  sounded  only  a  little  distance 
away,  rang  through  the  quarters,  folloAved  almost  im- 
mediately by  the  impatient  yelp  of  a  hound.  The 
young  prowlers  were  frightened  almost  out  of  their 
senses.  Before  they  could  make  up  their  minds 
what  ought  to  be  done,  a  voice  shouted : 

"  Here  they  be  !  Take  'em,  fellers  !  Take  'em 
down !" 

Another  impatient  yelp  and  the  rush  of  feet  on 
the  hard  road  told  the  boys  that  Don  Gordon's 
hounds  were  coming.  This  aroused  them,  and 
showed  them  the  necessity  of  making  an  effort  to 
escape.  It  was  useless  to  run ;  the  only  place  of 
safety  was  the  roof  of  the  cabin,  and  they  made  the 
most  frantic  efforts  to  reach  it.  They  darted  quickly 
around  the  corner  of  the  building,  sprang  upon  the 


THE    BOY    TRAPPER.  281 

porch  and  squirmed  up  the  posts  with  the  agility  of 
monkeys.  But  with  all  their  haste  they  did  not 
have  a  second  to  spare.  They  had  scarcely  left  the 
porch  before  the  hounds  bounded  up  the  steps  and  a 
pair  of  gleaming  jaws  came  together  with  a  snap 
close  to  Lester's  foot,  which  he  drew  out  of  the  way 
just  in  time  to  escape  being  caught.  Panting  and 
almost  breathless  with  terror  the  two  boys  crept  cau- 
tiously up  the  roof — the  moss-covered  shingles  were 
so  slippery  that  it  was  all  they  could  do  to  keep  from 
sliding  off  among  the  hounds — and  seating  themselves 
on  the  ridge-pole  looked  at  each  other  and  at  the  sav- 
age brutes  from  which  they  had  so  narrowly  escaped. 
Then  they  looked  all  around  to  find  the  person  who 
had  set  the  dogs  upon  them,  but  could  see  nothing 
of  him. 

"  Where  has  he  gone,  I  wonder  ?"  said  Lester,  who 
was  the  first  to  speak. 

"  Haven't  the  least  idea,"  replied  Bob. 

"  Who  was  it  ?" 

"  Don't  know  that,  either.  It  didn't  sound  to  me 
like  Don's  voice,  but  it  sounded  like  his  whistle,  and 
if  it  was  him,  I  wish  he'd  come  and  call  the  dogs  off. 
I  am  willing  to  give  up  now,  Lester.  Luck  is  always 
on  his  side,  and  if  he  will  let  us  go  home  without 


282  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

making  any  fuss  about  it,  I'll  promise  to  leave  him 
alone  in  future." 

Lester  could  not  find  fault  with  his  companion  for 
losing  his  courage  and  talking  in  this  strain,  for  he 
•was  frightened  half  to  death  himself,  and  he  would 
have  made  all  sorts  of  promises  if  he  could  only  have 
climbed  down  from  that  roof  and  sneaked  off  to  bed 
without  being  seen  by  anybody.  Don  did  not  show 
himself,  although  they  called  his  name  as  loudly  as 
they  dared,  and  neither  did  the  hounds  grow  tired 
and  go  away,  as  Lester  hoped  they  would.  They 
were  much  too  well  trained  for  that.  It  not  unfre- 
quently  happened  while  Don  and  Bert  were  hunting 
'coons  and  'possums  at  night,  that  the  game  took 
refuge  in  a  tree  much  too  large  to  be  cut  down  in  any 
reasonable  time  by  such  choppers  as  they  were.  In 
that  case  Don  would  order  the  hounds  to  watch  the 
tree,  and  he  and  Bert  would  go  home,  knowing  that 
when  daylight  came  they  would  find  the  dogs  still  on 
duty  and  the  game  closely  guarded.  The  animals 
seemed  to  be  perfectly  satisfied  when  they  found  that 
Lester  and  Bob  had  taken  refuge  on  the  top  of  the 
cabin.  They  walked  around  the  building  two  or 
three  times,  as  if  to  make  sure  that  there  was  no  way 
of  escape,  and  then  laid  down  on  the  ground  and 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  283 

prepared  to  take  matters  very  easily  until  their  mas- 
ter should  come  out  to  them  in  the  morning.  When 
Bob  saw  that,  he  lost  all  heart. 

"  If  we  never  were  in  a  scrape  before,  we're  in  one 
now,"  said  he.  "  We  may  as  well  make  up  our 
minds  to  stay  here  all  night." 

"  0,  we  can't  do  that,"  replied  Lester,  greatly 
alarmed.  "  Some  one  will  certainly  see  us." 

"  Of  course  they  will.     How  can  we  help  it  ?" 

"  I  should  never  dare  show  my  face  in  the  settle- 
ment again,  if  this  night's  work  should  become 
known,"  continued  Lester,  who  was  almost  ready  to 
cry  with  vexation.  "  It  would  ruin  me  completely, 
and  you,  too.  Don  and  Bert  would  ask  no  better 
fun  than  to  spread  it  all  over,  and  your  chances  of 
carrying  the  mail  would  be  knocked  higher  than  a 
kite.  Let's  pull  off  some  of  these  shingles  and 
throw  them  at  the  dogs.  Perhaps  we  can  drive  them 
away." 

"  You  don't  know  them  as  well  as  I  do.  They'll 
not  drive  worth  a  cent.  We're  here,  and  here  we 
must  stay  until  somebody  comes  and  calls  them  away. 
We'll  hail  the  first  nigger  we  see  in  the  morning, 
and  perhaps  we  can  hire  him  to  help  us  and  keep 
his  mouth  shut." 


284  THE  BOY  TRAPPER. 

This  was  poor  consolation  for  Lester,  but  it  was  the 
best  Bob  had  to  offer.  Things  turned  out  just  as  he 
said  they  would.  They  sat  there  on  the  ridge  pole 
for  more  than  four  hours,  Lester  racking  his  brain 
in  the  hope  of  conjuring  up  some  plan  for  driving 
the  dogs  away,  and  Bob  grumbling  lustily  over  the 
ill  luck  which  met  him  at  every  turn. 

At  last,  when  they  had  grown  so  cold  that  they 
could  scarcely  talk,  and  Lester  began  to  be  really 
afraid  that  he  should  freeze  to  death,  the  gray 
streaks  of  dawn  appeared  in  the  east.  Shortly 
afterward  the  door  of  the  nearest  cabin  opened, 
and  a  negro  came  out  and  stood  on  the  steps,  stretch- 
ing his  arms  and  yawning. 

"  It's  the  luckiest  thing  that  ever  happened  to  us," 
said  Bob,  speaking  only  after  a  great  effort.  "  That's 
the  hostler.  He  knows  me  and  will  help  us  if  any- 
body will.  Say,  Sam,"  he  added,  raising  his  voice. 
"  Sam !" 

"  Who  dar  ?"  asked  the  negro,  looking  all  around, 
as  if  he  could  not  make  up  his  mind  where  the  voice 
came  from.  "  Who's  dat  callin'  Sam  ?" 

"  It's  me.  Here  I  am,  up  here  on  top  of  this 
cabin,"  replied  Bob,  slapping  the  shingles  with  his 
open  hand  to  show  the  negro  where  he  was. 


THE   BOY   TKAPPEE.  285 

"  Wai,  if  dat  ain't  de  beatenest  thing !"  exclaimed 
Sam.  "  What  you  two  gemmen  doin'  up  dar  ?" 

"  0,  we  were  coming  through  here  last  night, 
taking  a  short  cut  through  the  fields,  you  know,  and 
the  dogs  discovered  us  and  drove  us  up  here." 

"  I  thought  I  heerd  'ein  fursin,"  said  Sam ;  "  but 
I  thought  mebbe  they'd  done  cotch  a  'coon." 

"  Well,  call  'em  off  and  let  us  go  home,"  exclaimed 
Lester,  impatiently. 

"  Dat's  impossible,  dat  is.  Dem  dar  dogs  don't 
keer  no  mo'  fur  us  black  uns  dan  nuffin,  dem  dogs 
don't.  Can't  call  'em  off,  kase  why,  dey  won't 
mind  us.  Have  to  go  arter  some  of  de  white  folks, 
suah !" 

"  Go  on  and  get  somebody,  then,  and  be  quick 
about  it,"  said  Bob,  desperately.  "And,  Sam,  if 
you  can  find  Bert  send  him  down.  We  want  to  see 
him  particularly,  and  it  will  save  us  walking  up  to 
the  house." 

The  negro  went  back  into  his  cabin,  but  came  out 
again  a  few  minutes  later  and  started  up  the -road 
toward  the  house. 


286  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

CONCLUSION. 

T>OB  and  his  companion  were  so  utterly  disheart- 
ened, and  so  nearly  overcome  with  the  cold, 
that  they  no  longer  looked  upon  exposure  as  the 
worst  thing  that  could  happen  to  them.  They  had 
made  up  their  minds  that  it  could  not  be  avoided, 
and  told  themselves  that  the  sooner  it  was  over  and 
they  were  allowed  to  leave  their  airy  perch  the 
sooner  they  would  breathe  easily  again.  They  could 
not  talk  now.  They  could  only  sit  and  gaze  in  the 
direction  in  which  the  hostler  had  disappeared,  and 
wait  for  somebody  to  come  and  call  off  the  dogs. 
Bob  hoped  that  somebody  would  be  Bert.  He  was 
a  simple-minded  little  fellow,  and  might  be  persuaded 
to  believe  the  story  that  Bob  had  told  the  hostler. 
But  Bert  did  not  come  to  their  relief;  it  was  his 
father.  When  Bob  saw  him  he  wished  most  heartily 
that  the  roof  would  open  and  let  him  down  out  of 
sight. 

"  Why,  boys,  what  is  the  meaning  of  this  ?"  asked 


THE   BOY  TRAPPER.  287 

the  General,  as  soon  as  he  came  within  speaking 
distance. 

"  It  means  that  we  have  been  up  here  since  mid- 
night and  are  nearly  frozen,"  replied  Bob,  trying  to 
smile  and  looking  as  innocent  as  a  guilty  boy  could. 
"  We  were  out  'coon-hunting  in  the  river  bottoms 
and  came  through  your  fields,  because  that  was  the 
nearest  way  home ;  but  the  dogs  saw  us  and  drove 
us  up  here." 

The  General  had  but  to  use  his  eyes  to  find  all 
the  evidence  he  needed  to  prove  this  story  false. 
The  meal  bags,  in  which  the  boys  expected  to  carry 
away  the  stolen  quails,  were  lying  on  the  ground  in 
plain  sight,  one  of  them  having  fallen  in  such  a  posi- 
tion that  the  owner's  name,  which  was  painted  on  it 
in  large  black  letters,  was  plainly  visible.  More 
than  that,  under  one  of  the  planks  which  protected 
the  window,  was  the  iron  lever  with  which  Bob  had 
tried  to  force  an  entrance  into  the  cabin.  He  left  it 
sticking  there  when  he  fell  off  Lester's  shoulders. 

"  Well,  you  may  come  down  now,"  said  the  Gen- 
eral. "  The  hounds  will  not  trouble  you." 

It  was  easy  enough  to  say  come  down,  but  it  was 
not  so  easy  to  do  it,  as  the  boys  found  when  they 
began  working  their  way  over  the  frosty  roof.  The 


288  THE   BOY   TRAPPER. 

shingles  were  as  slippery  as  glass,  and  their  hands 
seemed  to  have  lost  all  their  strength ;  but  they 
reached  the  ground  without  any  mishap,  and  were 
about  to  hurry  away  as  fast  as  their  cramped  legs 
would  carry  them,  when  the  General  asked : 

"  Hadn't  you  better  go  up  to  the  house  and  get 
warm  ?" 

"  0,  no,  thank  you,  sir,"  replied  Bob.  "  We'll  go 
directly  home.  Our  folks  will  wonder  what  has 
become  of  us." 

"  Are  these  your  bags  ?" 

"  No,  sir,"  replied  Bob,  promptly.  "  One  doesn't 
usually  carry  meal  bags  to  bring  home  'coons  in." 

"  I  am  aware  of  that  fact,"  said  the  General,  "  but 
couldn't  they  be  used  to  carry  quails  in  ?  These 
bags  have  you  father's  name  on  them,  and  you  had 
better  come  and  get  them." 

These  words  were  uttered  in  a  tone  of  command, 
and  Bob  thought  it  best  to  obey.  He  snatched  up 
the  bags,  and  with  Lester  by  his  side  made  his  way 
down  the  lane  with  all  possible  haste.  When  they 
were  safe  in  the  road,  Bob  drew  a  long  breath  and 
remarked : 

"  That's  the  end  of  that  scrape." 

"I  den't  see  it,"  returned  Lester.     "It  is  only 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  289 

tLe  beginning  of  it.     Everybody  in  the  settlement 
will  know  it  before  night." 

"Who  cares  if  they  do?"  cried  Bob,  who  began 
to  feel  like  himself,  now  that  he  was  on  solid  ground 
once  more.  "  They  can't  prove  that  we  went  there 
to  steal  the  quails,  and  we'll  not  confess  it." 

"  No,  sir,  "  replied  Lester,  emphatically.  "  You're 
a  sharp  one,  Bob,  to  make  up  such  a  plausible  story 
on  the  spur  of  the  moment,  but  I  know  the  General 
did  not  believe  a  word  of  it." 

"  So  do  I,  but  what's  the  odds  ?  Let's  see  him 
prove  that  I  didn't  tell  him  the  truth.  Now  the 
next  thing  is  something  else ;  we  must  make  up  a 
story  to  tell  my  folks  when  we  get  home." 

"  Can't  we  run  back  to  the  house  and  go  to  bed 
before  any  of  the  family  are  up  ?" 

"  I  am  afraid  to  try  it.  A  better  plan  would  be 
to  go  back  in  the  woods  and  build  a  fire  and  get 
warm.  Then  we'll  go  home,  and  if  anybody  asks 
us  where  we  have  been,  we'll  say  we  couldn't  sleep, 
and  so  we  got  up  and  went  'coon-hunting." 

"  I  wish  we  had  one  or  two  'coons  to  back  up  the 
story,"  said  Lester. 

"  0,  that  wouldn't  help  us  any.     People  often  go 
hunting  and  return  empty-handed,  you  knW." 
19 


290  THE   BOY  TRAPPER. 

Leaving  Bob  and  his  friend  to  get  out  of  their 
difficulties  as  best  they  can,  we  will  go  back  to  God- 
frey's cabin  and  see  what  the  two  boys  who  live 
there  are  doing.  The  day  of  rest,  which  Don  said 
would  work  such  wonders  in  David,  did  not  seem  to 
be  of  much  benefit  to  him  after  all.  He  had  been 
somewhat  encouraged  by  Bert's  cheering  words  and 
the  knowledge  that  influential  friends  were  working 
for  him,  and,  like  Bob  Owens,  he  had  indulged  in 
some  rosy  dreams  of  the  future ;  but  that  short 
interview  with  the  young  horsemen  who  met  him  in 
the  road  below  the  General's  house,  reminded  him 
that  he  had  active  enemies,  who  would  not  hesitate 
to  injure  him  by  every  means  in  their  power.  He 
thought  about  his  father  all  day,  and  wondered  if 
there  was  anything  he  could  do  that  would  bring 
him  back  home  where  he  belonged,  and  make  a 
respectable  man  of  him.  He  had  ample  leisure  to 
turn  this  problem  over  in  his  mind,  for  he  was  alone 
the  most  of  the  day.  As  soon  as  he  reached  the 
cabin,  Dan,  who  acted  as  if  he  did  not  want  to  be  in 
his  brother's  company,  shouldered  his  rifle  and  went 
off  by  himself;  and  it  was  while  he  was  roaming 
through  the  woods  that  he  made  a  discovery  which 


THE   BOY  TRAPPER.  291 

did  much  to  bring  about  some  of  the  events  we  have 
already  described. 

Dan  felt  so  mean  and  sneaking  that  he  did  not 
want  to  see  anybody,  if  he  could  help  it ;  and  when 
he  accidentally  encountered  Bob  Owens  and  Lester 
Brigham  in  the  woods,  he  darted  into  the  bushes  and 
concealed  himself.  He  watched  them  while  they 
were  watching  Don  and  Bert,  and  when  he  saw  thcin 
hitch  their  horses  and  creep  along  the  fence  in  pur- 
suit of  the  wagon,  he  suddenly  recalled  some  scraps 
of  a  conversation  he  had  overheard  a  few  days  before. 
He  knew  that  Lester  was  working  against  David,  and 
believing  from  his  stealthy  movements  and  Bob's  that 
there  was  mischief  afoot,  he  followed  them  with  the  de- 
termination of  putting  in  a  word,  and  perhaps  a  blow, 
if  he  found  that  David's  interests  were  in  jeopardy. 
He  saw  every  move  the  two  boys  made.  He  was 
lying  in  the  bushes  not  more  than  fifty  yards  from 
them,  while  they  were  watching  Don  and  Bert  put 
the  captured  quails  into  the  cabin,  and  when  they 
went  back  to  the  place  where  they  had  left  their 
horses,  they  passed  so  close  to  him  that  he  caught 
some  of  their  conversation.  When  they  were  out  of 
si^ht  and  hearing  Dan  arose  and  sat  down  on  the 


292  THE   BOY  TRAPPER. 

nearest  log  to  make  up  his  mind  what  he  was  going 
to  do  about  it. 

"  I'll  bet  a  hoss  you  don't  steal  them  quail  nor 
set  fire  to  the  cabin,  nuther,"  said  he,  to  himself. 
"  Thar's  a  heap  of  birds  in  thar — seems  to  me  that 
they  had  oughter  ketched  'most  as  many  as  they 
want  by  this  time — an'  they  shan't  be  pestered ;  kase 
if  they  be,  what' 11  become  of  my  shar'  of  them  hun- 
dred an'  fifty  dollars  ?  It'll  be  up  a  holler  stump, 
whar  I  thought  it  had  gone  long  ago  !" 

Dan  knew  that  if  Lester  and  his  friend  had  any 
designs  upon  the  cabin  and  the  quails  that  were  in 
it,  they  would  not  attempt  to  carry  them  out  before 
night ;  but  the  fear  that  something  might  happen  if 
he  went  home  again  troubled  him  greatly,  and  he 
resolved  that  he  would  not  lose  sight  of  the  cabin  for 
a  few  hours  at  least.  He  did  not  know  what  he 
would  do  to  Lester  and  Bob  if  he  caught  them  in 
the  act  of  trying  to  steal  the  quails  ;  that  was  a 
point  on  which  he  could  not  make  up  his  mind  until 
something  happened  to  suggest  an  idea  to  him. 
While  he  was  sitting  in  his  place  of  concealment, 
thinking  busily,  he  heard  a  rustling  in  the  bushes 
and  looked  up  to  see  one  of  Don's  hounds  approach- 
ing. 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  293 

In  the  days  gone  by,  before  Dan  became  such  a 
rascal  as  he  was  now,  he  had  often  accompanied  Don 
and  Bert  on  their  'coon  and  'possum  hunting  expe- 
ditions, and  the  old  dogs  in  the  pack  were  almost  as 
well  acquainted  with  him  as  they  were  with  their 
master.  Bose  recognised  him  at  once,  and  appeared 
to  be  glad  to  see  him. 

"  I  want  you  to  stay  here  with  me  till  it  comes 
dark,  ole  feller,"  said  Dan,  patting  the  animal's  head. 
(He  never  kicked  the  hounds,  as  he  did  the  pointer. 
He  knew  better.)  "  If  them  fellers  comes  we'll 
make  things  lively  fur  'em.  You  hear  me?" 

Dan  waited  almost  twelve  hours  before  he  had 
an  opportunity  to  carry  out  the  plan  he  had  so  sud- 
denly formed.  When  he  became  tired  of  sitting  still 
and  began  to  feel  the  cravings  of  appetite,  he  went 
into  the  woods  and  shot  four  squirrels  which  Bose 
treed  for  him.  These  he  roasted  over  a  fire  and 
divided  with  his  four-footed  friend.  When  it  began 
to  grow  dark  he  went  back  to  his  hiding-place,  where 
he  remained  until  he  thought  it  time  to  take  up  a 
new  position.  This  was  by  the  side  of  the  road,  and 
a  short  distance  from  the  big  gate,  which  opened  into 
the  lane  leading  to  the  negro  quarters.  There  Dan 
lay  for  almost  four  hours,  stretched  out  behind  a  log, 


294  THE   BOY   TRAPPEE. 

with  the  hound  by  his  side.  He  saw  several  negroes 
pass  in  and  out  of  the  gate,  and,  although  some  of 
them  walked  by  within  ten  feet  of  him,  no  one  saw 
him,  and  the  well-trained  hound  never  betrayed  his 
presence  by  so  much  as  a  whimper. 

Finally,  to  Dan's  great  relief,  the  lights  in  the 
General's  house  were  put  out,  then  a  door  or  two 
was  slammed  loudly  in  the  quarters,  and  after  that 
all  was  still.  Dan  had  grown  tired  of  watching  and 
must  have  fallen  asleep,  for  he  knew  nothing  more 
until  a  low  growl  from  the  hound  aroused  him.  He 
was  wide  awake  in  an  instant,  and  having  quieted 
the  animal  by  placing  his  hand  on  his  neck,  he 
looked  all  around  to  see  what  it  was  that  had  dis- 
turbed him.  He  heard  footsteps  in  the  field  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  road,  and  presently  two  figures 
appeared  and  clambered  over  the  fence.  They 
crossed  to  the  gate,  which  they  opened  and  closed 
very  carefully  and  went  down  the  lane. 

"  Them's  our  fellers,  Bose,"  whispered  Dan,  who 
was  highly  excited.  "  They've  got  bags  slung  over 
their  shoulders,  an'  they  think  they're  goin'  to  play 
smash  stealin'  them  birds  of  our'n;  but  me  and  you 
will  see  how  many  they'll  get,  won't  we  ?" 

As  soon  as  Bob  and  Lester  were  out  of  hearing 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  295 

Dan  arose,  and  holding  the  hound  firmly  by  the 
neck  with  one  hand  he  opened  the  gate  with  the 
other,  and  moved  noiselessly  down  the  lane  toward 
the  quarters.  His.  plan  was  to  make  sure  that  Bob 
and  his  friend  had  come  there  to  force  an  entrance 
into  the  cabin  in  which  the  quails  were  confined,  and 
if  he  found  that  that  was  their  object,  he  would  make 
a  pretence  of  setting  Bose  upon  them.  He  did  not 
intend  to  do  so  in  reality,  for  be  knew  the  dog  too 
well.  The  animal  always  did  serious  work  when  he 
began  to  use  his  teeth,  and  Dan  didn't  want  either 
of  the  young  thieves  killed  or  maimed.  He  knew 
that  if  he  could  excite  the  hound  and  induce  him  to 
give  tongue,  the  rest  of  the  pack  would  be  on  the 
ground  in  two  minutes'  time ;  and  as  they  were  all 
young  dogs  (Carlo  was  shut  np  in  the  barn  every 
night  to  do  guard  duty  there),  they  would  not  be 
likely  to  take  hold  of  the  boys,  if  left  to  themselves. 
They  would  not  permit  them  to  escape,  either.  They 
would  surround  them  and  keep  them  there  until 
morninw,  and  that  was  what  Dan  wanted.  He  could 

O7 

not  afford  to  watch  the  cabin  every  night,  and  he 
thought  it  would  be  a  good  plan  to  give  Bob  and  his 
friend  a  lesson  they  would  not  forget 

That  the   prowlers  had   come  there  to  force  an 


296  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

entrance  into  the  cabin,  was  quickly  made  plain  to 
even  Dan's  dull  comprehension.  He  saw  them  trj 
the  door,  and  then  go  around  to  the  other  side  ot 
the  building  and  attempt  to  pry  off  the  planks  that 
covered  the  window.  Dan  heard  something  crack 
as  Bob  laid  out  his  strength  on  the  lever  he  was 
using,  and  believing  that  the  thieves  were  on  the 
point  of  accomplishing  their  object,  he  uttered  a 
loud  whistle  to  let  the  rest  of  the  pack  know  that 
they  were  wanted,  and  shouted : 

"  Here  they  be  !  Take  'em,  fellers  !  Take  'em 
down !" 

Bose,  who  had  been  growing  more  and  more 
impatient  every  moment,  was  quite  ready  to  obey. 
Uttering  a  loud  yelp,  which  was  almost  immediately 
answered  by  the  rest  of  the  pack,  he  raised  himself 
upon  his  hind  legs,  and  struggled  so  furiously  to 
escape  that  Dan  was  obliged  to  drop  his  rifle  and 
seize  him  with  both  hands.  But  when  the  brute 
was  thoroughly  aroused,  it  was  hard  to  restrain  him. 
The  thick,  loose  skin  on  the  back  of  his  neck  did 
not  afford  Dan  a  very  good  hold,  and  almost  before 
he  knew  it,  Bose  slipped  from  his  grasp,  and 
bounded  toward  the  cabin.  At  the  same  instant,  a 
chorus  of  loud  bays  sounding  close  at  hand  an- 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  297 

nounced  that  the  rest  of  the  pack  were  coming  at 
the  top  of  their  speed.  Bob  and  Lester  had  never 
before  been  in  so  much  danger  as  they  were  at  that 
moment. 

Dan,  who  began  to  fear  that  the  plan  he  had 
adopted  for  protecting  the  quails  was  about  to  result 
in  a  terrible  tragedy,  was  very  badly  frightened. 
He  stood  for  a  few  seconds  as  if  he  had  been  deprived 
of  all  power  of  action,  and  then  caught  up  his  rifle 
and  took  to  his  heels.  He  ran  as  if  the  pack  were 
after  him  instead  of  Bob  and  Lester,  and  never  slack- 
ened his  pace  until  he  was  out  of  hearing  of  their 
angry  voices.  He  crept  home  like  a  thief  and  got 
into  bed  without  arousing  either  David  or  his  mother. 
But  he  could  not  sleep.  He  was  haunted  by  the  fear 
that  something  dreadful  had  happened  down  there 
in  the  quarters,  and  that  there  would  be  a  great  up- 
roar in  the  settlement  the  next  morning.  He  felt 
that  he  could  never  be  himself  again  until  he  knew 
the  worst,  so  a  little  while  before  daylight  he  put  on 
his  clothes,  slipped  quietly  out  of  the  cabin  and  bent 
his  steps  toward  the  big  gate  near  which  he  had  been 
concealed  the  night  before.  By  the  time  he  reached 
it  there  was  light  enough  for  him  to  distinguish  ob- 
jects at  a  considerable  distance,  and  we  can  imagine 


298  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

how  greatly  relieved  he  was  when  he  discovered  Bob 
and  Lester  perched  upon  the  ridge  pole  of  the  cabin. 
At  first,  he  thought  his  eyes  were  deceiving  him,  but 
a  second  look  told  him  that  there  was  no  mistake 
about  it.  He  would  have  been  glad  to  know  if  either 
of  them  had  been  injured  by  the  hounds  before  they 
got  there,  but  that  was  something  he  could  not  find 
out  just  then.  They  had  not  been  torn  in  pieces,  as 
he  feared,  and  that  was  a  great  comfort  to  him. 

"  They  never  had  a  closer  shave,  that  thar  is  sar- 
tin,"  thought  Dan,  as  he  turned  about  and  trudged 
toward  home.  "  I  wonder  what  pap  Avould  say  if  he 
knowed  what  a  smart  trick  I  played  onto  'em  !  I 
wish  I  could  go  an'  tell  him,  but  I  am  a'most  afeared, 
kase  he  must  be  jest  a  bilin'  over  with  madness.  He's 
lost  the  pinter — I  reckon  Dave  must  have  stole  him, 
kase  I  don't  see  how  else  he  could  have  got  him — 
an'  I  don't  keer  to  go  nigh  him  ag'in,  till  I  kin 
kinder  quiet  his  feelin's  by  tellin'  him  some  good 
news  'bout  them  hundred  an'  fifty  dollars." 

The  events  of  this  night  were  the  last  of  any  in- 
terest that  transpired  in  the  settlement  for  more  than 
two  weeks.  Affairs  seemed  to  take  a  turn  for  the 
better  now,  and  the  boy  trapper  and  his  two  friends 
were  left  to  carry  out  their  plans  without  any  oppo- 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  299 

sition.  Bob  and  Lester  kept  out  of  sight  altogether ; 
but  they  need  not  have  been  so  careful  to  do  that, 
for  the  General  was  the  only  one  who  was  the  wiser 
for  what  they  had  done,  and  he  never  said  a  word 
about  it  to  anybody.  They  could  not  even  muster 
up  energy  enough  to  go  out  of  nights  to  rob  David's 
traps ;  and  perhaps  it  was  just  as  well  that  they  did 
not  attempt  it,  for  they  might  have  run  against  Dan 
Evans  in  the  dark.  The  latter  spent  very  little 
time  at  home  now.  He  was  sometimes  absent  for 
two  days  and  nights,  and  David  and  his  mother  did 
not  know  what  to  make  of  it.  He  had  built  a  camp 
near  the  field  in  which  the  traps  were  set,  and  there 
he  lived  by  himself,  subsisting  upon  the  squirrels 
and  wild  turkeys  that  fell  to  his  rifle. 

Things  went  on  smoothly  for  a  week,  and  during 
this  time  David  and  his  friends  were  as  busy  as  they 
could  be.  Quails  were  more  abundant  than  they 
had  ever  known  them  to  be  before.  They  seemed 
to  flock  into  the  General's  fields  on  purpose  to  be 
caught,  and  before  many  days  had  passed,  it  became 
necessary 'to  fit  up  another  cabin  for  the  reception 
of  the  prisoners.  In  the  meantime  the  General's 
timber  and  nails  were  used  up  rapidly.  The  boys 
had  the  hardest  part  of  their  work  to  do  now,  and 


300  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

that  was  to  build  a  sufficient  number  of  coops  to 
hold  all  the  birds.  Silas  Jones  said  that  the  Emma 
Deane  was  expected  down  every  day,  and  Don  de- 
clared that  the  birds  must  be  shipped  on  her  when 
she  came  back  from  New  Orleans,  if  it  took  every 
man  and  woman  on  the  plantation  to  get  them  ready. 
She  came  at  last,  and  Don  was  at  the  landing  to 
meet  her.  He  held  a  short  interview  with  her  cap- 
tain and  Silas  Jones,  who  was  freight  agent  as  well 
as  express  agent  and  post-master,  and  when  it  was 
ended  he  jumped  on  his  pony  and  rode  homeward 
as  if  his  life  depended  upon  the  speed  he  made. 
When  he  arrived  within  sight  of  the  field  where  the 
traps  were  set,  he  saw  his  brother  and  David  coming 
in  with  another  wagon  load  of  birds. 

"How  many  this  morning?"  asked  Don. 

"  We  have  enough  now  to  make  fifty-five  dozen 
altogether,"  replied  Bert. 

"  Hurrah  for  our  side  !"  cried  Don.  "  We'll  ship 
them  all.  Some  may  die  on  the  way,  you  know,  and 
that  man  must  have  the  number  he  advertised  for. 
Captain  Morgan  will  stop  and  get  the  birds  when  he 
comes  back.  He  will  see  them  shipped  on  the  rail- 
road at  Cairo,  and  all  we  have  to  do  is  to  be  sure 
that  the  game  is  at  the  landing  in  time." 


THE   BOY   TRAPPER.  301 

"  Did  he  say  how  much  it  would  cost  to  send  them 
off?"  asked  David. 

"No.  He  will  put  in  his  bill  when  he  comes 
down  again.  He  carries  freight  by  the  hundred,  you 
know.  He  will  pay  the  railroad  charges,  too,  and 
add  that  to  his  own  bill." 

"  But  what  shall  I  do  if  both  bills  amount  to  more 
than  ten  dollars?"  asked  David,  with  some  anxiety. 

Don  did  not  seem  to  hear  the  question,  for  he  paid 
no  attention  to  it.  The  truth  was  he  had  arranged 
matters  so  that  David  would  not  be  required  to  use 
any  of  his  ten  dollars.  Silas  Jones  was  to  foot  all 
the  bills  and  pay  himself  out  of  David's  money  when 

it  was  forwarded  to  him  by  the  agent  at  S ,  the 

place  where  the  quails  were  going.  But  Don 
couldn't  stop  to  explain  this  just  now.  He  told  his 
brother  and  David  to  make  haste  and  put  the  quails 
into  the  cabin ;  and  when  that  was  done  and  they 
came  into  the  shop,  he  set  them  at  work  on  the  coops. 
There  was  much  yet  to  be  done,  but  they  had  ample 
time  to  do  it  in,  with  more  than  a  day  to  spare. 
When  the  next  Wednesday  night  arrived  fifty-five 
dozen  quails,  boxed  and  marked  ready  for  shipment, 
were  at  the  landing,  waiting  to  begin  the  journey  to 
their  new  home  in  the  North,  and  Don  carried  in 


302  THE   BOY    TRAPPER. 

his  pocket  a  letter  addressed  to  the  advertiser,  which 
Captain  Morgan  was  to  mail  at  Cairo. 

The  boys  camped  at  the  landing  that  night  to  keep 
guard  over  their  property.  They  pitched  a  little 
tent  on  the  bank,  built  a  roaring  fire  in  front  of  it, 
and  in  company  with  Fred  and  Joe  Packard,  who 
came  down  to  stay  with  them,  passed  the  hours  very 
pleasantly.  The  Emma  Deane  came  up  the  next 
afternoon,  and  when  the  freight  had  been  carried 
aboard  and  she  backed  out  into  the  stream  again, 
David  drew  a  long  breath,  expressive  of  the  deepest 
satisfaction.  His  task  was  done,  and  he  hoped  in  a 
few  days  more  to  reap  the  reward  of  his  labor. 

The  boys  felt  like  resting  now.  They  had  worked 
long  and  faithfully,  and  they  were  all  relieved  to 
know  that  their  time  was  their  own.  Don  and  Bert 
paid  daily  visits  to  their  bear  trap,  hunted  wild  tur- 
keys and  drove  the  ridges  for  deer,  while  David 
stayed  at  home  and  made  himself  useful  there,  until 
he  began  to  think  it  time,  to  hear  from  somebody, 
and  then  he  took  to  hanging  about  the  post-office  as 
persistently  as  ever  his  father  had  done.  Finally, 
his  anxiety  was  relieved  by  the  arrival  of  the  first 
letter  that  had  ever  been  addressed  to  himself.  He 
tore  it  open  with  eager  hands,  and  read  that  the 


THE    BOY   TRAPPER.  303 

quails  had  been  received  in  good  order,  and  that  the 
money,  amounting  to  one  hundred  and  ninety-two 
dollars  and  fifty  cents,  had  been  paid  over  to  the 
agent  from  whom  they  were  received.  David  could 
hardly  believe  it.  The  man  had  paid  him  for  the 
extra  five  dozen  birds  ;  he  was  to  receive  forty-two 
dollars  more  than  he  expected ;  and  there  had  been 
no  freight  charges  deducted.  David  could  not  under- 
stand that,  and  there  was  no  one  of  whom  he  could 
ask  an  explanation,  for  Don  and  Bert  had  gone  over 
to  Coldwater  that  morning,  and  were  not  to  be  back 
for  a  week.  He  had  a  long  talk  with  his  mother 
about  it  that  night,  and  when  he  went  to  bed  never 
closed  his  eyes  in  slumber.  Every  succeeding  day 
found  him  at  the  landing  waiting  for  his  money,  and 
so  little  did  he  know  about  business  that  he  could 
not  imagine  who  was  to  give  it  to  him. 

At  last  the  Emma  Deane  came  down  again.  Da- 
vid stood  around  with  the  rest  and  watched  her  while 
she  was  putting  off  her  freight,  and  having  seen  her 
back  out  into  the  stream,  was  about  to  start  for  home, 
when  Silas  Jones  came  up  and  tapped  him  on  the 
shoulder. 

"  Don't  go  away,"  said  he.     "I  want  to  see  you." 
David  waited  an  hour  before  Silas  was  ready  to 


304  THE    BOY   TRAPPER. 

tell  him  what  he  wanted  of  him.  By  that  time  the 
most  of  the  hangers-on  had  dispersed  ;  and  when  the 
last  customer  finished  his  trading,  Silas  stepped  be- 
hind his  desk  and  opened  his  safe. 

"There  it  is,"  said  he,  slapping  a  package  of 
greenbacks  on  the  desk  and  then  holding  it  up  to 
David's  view.  "  How  do  you  like  the  looks  of  it  ?" 

David's  eyes  opened  to  their  widest  extent.  He 
had  never  seen  so  large  a  package  of  money  before. 
He  looked  hastily  about  the  store  to  see  if  Dan  was 
anywhere  in  sight,  and  was  greatly  relieved  to  find 
that  he  was  not.  There  were  three  or  four  men 
standing  by,  and  they  appeared  to  be  enjoying  Da- 
vid's astonishment. 

"Is — is  it  mine,  Mr.  Jones?"  he  managed  to 
ask. 

"Some  of  it  is,  and  some  of  it  is  mine.  There 
are  a  hundred  and  ninety-two  dollars  and  a  half 
here,  and  twenty-eight  of  it  belongs  to  me.  Freight 
bills,  you  know.  The  coops  you  put  those  birds  in 
were  as  heavy  as  lead.  If  you  had  put  less  timber 
in  them  your  expenses  would  not  have  been  so 
heavy." 

"  Don  thought  it  best  to  have  them  strong,  so  that 
they  would  not  be  broken  in  handling,"  said  David. 


THE   BOY  TRAPPER.  305 

"  That  was  all  right.  Now  let  me  see,"  added 
Silas,  consulting  his  books ;  "  fifty-five  dozen  five 
quails  at  three  fifty  per  dozen — one  ninety-two, 
fifty ;  less  twenty-eight,  leaves  one  sixty-four,  fifty. 
Just  step  around  here  and  sign  this  receipt." 

David  obeyed  like  one  in  a  dream.  He  put  his 
name  to  the  receipt,  and,  scarcely  knowing  what  he 
was  about,  thrust  the  package  of  money  which  Silas 
handed  him  into  his  pocket  and  walked  out  of  the 
store. 

"  There  goes  the  proudest  boy  in  the  United 
States,"  said  the  grocer. 

Yes,  David  was  proud,  but  he  was  grateful,  too. 
He  was  indebted  to  Don  and  Bert  for  his  good  for- 
tune, and  he  was  sorrv  that  b°  could  do  nothing  but 
thank  them  when  they  came  home.  He  went 
straight  to  the  cabin,  and  to  his  great  surprise  and 
joy  found  his  mother  there.  She  was  alone  in  the 
house,  but  David,  profiting  by  his  past  experience, 
made  a  thorough  examination  of  the  premises  before 
he  said  a  word  to  her.  Having  thus  made  sure  that 
Dan  was  not  about,  he  pulled  out  his  package  of 
greenbacks  and  laid  it  in  his  mother's  lap. 

There  was  joy  in  the  cabin  that  day.  ,  If  David 
had  never  before  realized  that  it  is  worth  while  to 
20 


306  THE   BOY  TRAPPER. 

keep  trying,  no  matter  how  hard  one's  luck  may  be, 
he  realized  it  now.  We  will  leave  him  in  the  full 
enjoyment  of  his  success,  promising  to  bring  him  to 
the  notice  of  the  reader  again  at  no  distant  day, 
in  the  concluding  volume  of  this  series,  which  will 
be  entitled  THE  MAIL  CARRIER. 


THE   END. 


FAMOUS  STANDARD 
JUVENILE  LIBRARIES. 

ANY   VOLUME  SOLD  SEPARATELY  AT  $1.00  PER  VOLUMfl 

(Except  the  Sportsman's  Club  Series,  Frank  Nelson  Series  and 

Jack  Hazard  Series.). 

Each  Volume  Illustrated.     J2mo.    Cloth. 


HORATIO  ALGER,  JR. 

THE  enormous  sales  of  the  books  of  Horatio  Alger,  Jr., 
show  the  greatness  of  his  popularity  among  the  boys,  and 
prove  that  he  is  one  of  their  most  favored  writers.  I  am  told 
that  more  than  half  a  million  copies  altogether  have  been 
sold,  and  that  all  the  large  circulating  libraries  in  the  country 
have  several  complete  sets,  of  which  only  two  or  three  vol- 
umes are  ever  on  the  shelves  at  one  time.  If  this  is  true, 
what  thousands  and  thousands  of  boys  have  read  and  are 
reading  Mr.  Alger's  books !  His  peculiar  style  of  stories, 
often  imitated  but  never  equaled,  have  taken  a  hold  upon  the 
young  people,  and,  despite  their  similarity,  are  eagerly  read 
as  soon  as  they  appear. 

Mr.  Alger  became  famous  with  the  publication  of  that 
undying  book,  "Ragged  Dick,  or  Street  Life  in  New  York." 
It  was  his  first  book  for  young  people,  and  its  success  was  so 
great  that  he  immediately  devoted  himself  to  that  kind  of 
writing.  It  was  a  new  and  fertile  field  for  a  writer  then,  and 
Mr.  Alger's  treatment  of  it  at  once  caught  the  fancy  of  the 
boys.  "Ragged  Dick"  first  appeared  in  1868,  and  ever  since 
then  it  has  been  selling  steadily,  until  now  it  is  estimated 
that  about  200,000  copies  of  the  series  have  been  sold. 

— Pleasant  Hours  for  Boys  and  Girls. 


2          HENRY  T.   COATES  &  CO.'S  POPULAR  JUVENILES. 

A  writer  for  boys  should  have  an  abundant  sympathy 
•with  them.  He  should  be  able  to  enter  into  their  plans, 
hopes,  and  aspirations.  He  should  learn  to  look  upon  life 
as  they  do.  Boys  object  to  be  written  down  to.  A  boy's 
heart  opens  to  the  man  or  writer  who  understands  him. 

— From  Writing  Stones  for  Boys,  by  Horatio  Alger,  Jr. 


RAGGED  DICK  SERIES. 

6  vols.  BY  HORATIO  ALGER,  JR.  $6.00 

Ragged  Dick.  Rough  and  Ready. 

Fame  and  Fortune.  Ben  the  Luggage  Boy. 

Mark  the  Match  Boy.  Rufus  and  Rose. 

TATTERED  TOM  SERIES— First  Series. 

4  vols.  BY  HORATIO  ALGER,  JR.  $4.00 

Tattered  Tom.  Phil  the  Fiddler. 

Paul  the  Peddler.  Slow  and  Sure. 

TATTERED  TOM  SERIES— Second  Series. 

4  vols.  |4.oo 

Julius.  Sam's  Chance. 

The  Young  Outlaw.  The  Telegraph  Boy. 

CAMPAIGN  SERIES. 

3  vols.  BY  HORATIO  ALGER,  JR.  Is-oo 

Frank's  Campaign.  Charlie  Codman's  Cruise. 

Paul  Prescott's  Charge. 

LUCK  AND  PLUCK  SERIES— First  Series. 

4  vols.  BY  HORATIO  ALGER,  JR.  $4.00 

Luck  and  Pluck-  Strong  and  Steady. 

Sink  or  Swim.  Strive  and  Succeed. 


HENRY  T.  COATES  &  CO.'S  POPULAR  JUVENILES.    3 

LUCK  AND  PLUCK  SERIES— Second  Series. 
4  vols.  $4.00 

Try  and  Trust.  Risen  from  the  Ranks. 

Bound  to  Rise.  Herbert  Carter's,  Legacy. 

BRAVE  AND  BOLD  SERIES. 

4  vols.  BY  HORATIO  ALGER,  JR.  |4.oo 

Brave  and  Bold.  Shifting  for  Himself. 

Jack's  Ward.  Wait  and  Hope. 

NEW  WORLD  SERIES. 

3  vols.  BY  HORATIO  ALGER,  JR.  $3.00 

Digging  for  Gold.     Facing  the  World.         In  a  New  World. 

VICTORY  SERIES. 

3  vols.  BY  HORATIO  ALGER,  JR.  $3.00 

Only  an  Irish  Boy.  Adrift  in  the  City. 

Victor  Vane,  or  the  Young  Secretary. 

FRANK  AND  FEARLESS  SERIES. 

3  vols.  BY  HORATIO  AI.GER,  JR.  $3.00 

Frank  Hunter's  Peril.  Frank  and  Fearless. 

The  Young  Salesman. 

GOOD  FORTUNE  LIBRARY. 

3  vols.  BY  HORATIO  ALGER,  JR.  $3.00 

Walter  Sherwood's  Probation.     A  Boy's  Fortune. 
The  Young  Bank  Messenger. 

RUPERT'S  AMBITION. 

i  voL  BY  HORATIO  ALGER,  JR.  $i.oc 

JED,  THE  POOR-HOUSE  BOY. 

i  vol.  BY  HORATIO  AJ.GSR,  JR.  $1.00 


4          HENRY  T.   COATES   &  CO.'S  POPULAR  JUVENILES. 

HARRY  CASTLEMON. 


HOW  I  CAME  TO  WRITE  MY  FIRST  BOOK. 

WHEN  I  was  sixteen  years  old  I  belonged  to  a  composi- 
tion class.  It  was  our  custom  to  go  on  the  recitation  seat 
every  day  with  clean  slates,  and  we  were  allowed  ten  min- 
utes to  write  seventy  words  on  any  siibject  the  teacher 
thought  suited  to  our  capacity.  One  day  he  gave  out  "What 
a  Man  Would  See  if  He  Went  to  Greenland."  My  heart  was 
in  the  matter,  and  before  the  ten  minutes  were  up  I  had  one 
Bide  of  my  slate  filled.  The  teacher  listened  to  the  reading 
of  our  compositions,  and  when  they  were  all  over  he  simply 
said  :  "Some  of  you  will  make  your  living  by  writing  one 
of  these  days."  That  gave  me  something  to  ponder  upon^ 
I  did  not  say  so  out  loud,  but  I  knew  that  my  composition 
was  as  good  as  the  best  of  them.  By  the  way,  there  was 
another  thing  that  came  in  my  way  just  then.  I  was  read- 
ing at  that  time  one  of  Mayne  Reid's  works  which  I  had 
drawn  from  the  library,  and  I  pondered  upon  it  as  much  as 
I  did  upon  what  the  teacher  said  to  me.  In  introducing 
Swartboy  to  his  readers  he  made  use  of  this  expression  : 
"No  visible  change  was  observable  in  Swartboy 's  counte- 
nance." Now,  it  occurred  to  me  that  if  a  man  of  his  educa- 
tion could  make  such  a  blunder  as  that  and  still  write  a 
book,  I  ought  to  be  able  to  do  it,  too.  I  went  home  that  very 
day  and  began  a  story,  "The  Old  Guide's  Narrative,"  which 
was  sent  to  the  New  York  Weekly,  and  came  back,  respect- 
fully declined.  It  was  written  on  both  sides  of  the  sheets 
but  I  didn't  know  that  this  was  against  the  rules.  Nothing 
abashed,  I  began  another,  and  receiving  some  instruction, 
from  a  friend  of  mine  who  was  a  clerk  in  a  book  store,  I 
wrote  it  on  only  one  side  of  the  paper.  But  mind  you,  he 
didn't  know  what  I  was  doing.  Nobody  knew  it ;  but  one 


HENRY  T.   COATES  &  CO.'S  POPULAR  JUVENILES.          5 

day,  after  a  hard  Saturday's  work — the  other  boys  had  been 
out  skating  on  the  brick-pond — I  shyly  broached  the  subject 
to  my  mother.  I  felt  the  need  of  some  sympathy.  She 
listened  in  amazement,  and  then  said  :  "Why,  do  you  think 
you  could  write  a  book  like  that  ?' '  That  settled  the  matter, 
and  from  that  day  no  one  knew  what  I  was  up  to  until  I  sent 
the  first  four  volumes  of  Gunboat  Series  to  my  father.  Was 
it  work  ?  Well,  yes  ;  it  was  hard  work,  but  each  week  I  had 
the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  manuscript  grow  until  the 
"Young  Naturalist"  was  all  complete. 

— Harry  Castlemon  in  the  Writer. 


GUNBOAT  SERIES. 

6  vols.  BY  HARRY  CASTLEMON.  $6.00 

Frank  the  Young  Naturalist.      Frank  before  Vicksburg. 
Frank  on  a  Gunboat.  Frank  on  the  Lower  Mississippi. 

Frank  in  the  Woods.  Frank  on  the  Prairie. 

ROCKY  MOUNTAIN  SERIES. 

3  vols.  BY  HARRY  CASTLEMON.  $3.00 

Frank  Among  the  Rancheros.     Frank  in  the  Mountains. 
Frank  at  Don  Carlos'  Rancho. 

SPORTSMAN'S  CLUB  SERIES. 

3  vols.  BY  HARRY  CASTLEMON.  $3.75 

The  Sportsman's  Club  in  the  Saddle.     The  Sportsman's  Club 
The  Sportsman's  Club  Afloat.  Among  the  Trappers. 

FRANK  NELSON  SERIES. 

3  vols.  BY  HARRY  CASTLEMON.  13.75 

Snowed  up.         Frank  in  the  Forecastle.     The  Boy  Traders. 

BOY  TRAPPER    SERIES. 

3  vols.  BY  HARRY  CASTLEMON.  #3.00 

Tiie  Buried  Treasure.     The  Boy  Trapper.     The  Mail  Carrier. 


6          HENRY  T.   COATES  &  CO  'S  POPULAR  JUVENILES. 

ROUGHING  IT  SERIES. 

3  vois.  BY  HARRY  CASTIVEMON.  $3  oo 

George  in  Camp.  George  at  the  Fort. 

George  at  the  Wheel. 

ROD  AND  GUN  SERIES. 

3  vols.  BY  HARRY  CASTLEMON.  $3.00 

Don  Gordon's  Shooting  Box.      The  Young  Wild  Fowlers. 
Rod  and  Gun  Club. 

GO=AHEAD  SERIES. 

3  vols.  BY  HARRY  CASTLEMON.  f3-oo 

Tom  Newcombe.  Go-Ahead.  No  Moss. 

WAR  SERIES. 

6  vols.  BY  HARRY  CASTI^EMON.  $6.00 

True  to  His  Colors.  Marcy  the  Blockade-Runner. 

Rodney  the  Partisan.  Marcy  the  Refugee. 

Rodney  the  Overseer.  Sailor  Jack  the  Trader. 

HOUSEBOAT  SERIES. 

3  vols.  BY  HARRY  CASTLEMON.  $3-oo 

The  Houseboat  Boys.        The  Mystery  of  Lost  River  Canon. 
The  Young  Game  Warden. 

AFLOAT  AND  ASHORE  SERIES. 

3  vols.  BY  HARRY  CASTLEMON.  $3-oo 

Rebellion  in  Dixie.  A  Sailor  in  Spite  of  Himself. 

The  Ten-Ton  Cutter. 

THE  PONY  EXPRESS  SERIES. 

3  vol.  BY  HARRY  CASTXEMON.  $3.00 

The  Pony  Express  Rider.  The  White  Beaver. 

Carl,  The  Trailer. 


HENRY  T.  COATES  &  CO.'S  POPULAR  JUVENILES.    7 

EDWARD  S.  ELLIS. 

EDWARD  S.  ELLIS,  the  popular  writer  of  boys'  books,  is 
a  native  of  Ohio,  where  he  was  born  somewhat  more  than  a 
half-century  ago.  His  father  was  a  famous  hunter  and  rifle 
shot,  and  it  was  doubtless  his  exploits  and  those  of  his  asso- 
ciates, with  their  tales  of  adventure  which  gave  the  son  his 
taste  for  the  breezy  backwoods  and  for  depicting  the  stirring 
life  of  the  early  settlers  on  the  frontier. 

Mr.  Ellis  began  writing  at  an  early  age  and  his  work  was 
acceptable  from  the  first.  His  parents  removed  to  New 
Jersey  while  he  was  a  boy  and  he  was  graduated  from  the 
State  Normal  School  and  became  a  member  of  the  faculty 
while  still  in  his  teens.  He  was  afterward  principal  of  the 
Trenton  High  School,  a  trustee  and  then  superintendent  of 
schools.  By  that  time  his  services  as  a  writer  had  become 
so  pronounced  that  he  gave  his  entire  attention  to  literature. 
He  was  an  exceptionally  successful  teacher  and  wrote  a  num- 
ber of  text-books  for  schools,  all  of  which  met  with  high 
favor.  For  these  and  his  historical  productions,  Princeton 
College  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts. 

The  high  moral  character,  the  clean,  manly  tendencies 
and  the  admirable  literary  style  of  Mr.  Ellis'  stories  have 
made  him  as  popular  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic  as  in 
this  country.  A  leading  paper  remarked  some  time  since, 
that  no  mother  need  hesitate  to  place  in  the  hands  of  her  boy 
any  book  written  by  Mr.  Ellis.  They  are  found  in  the  lead- 
ing Sunday-school  libraries,  where,  as  may  well  be  believed, 
they  are  in  wide  demand  and  do  much  good  by  their  sound, 
wholesome  lessons  which  render  them  as  acceptable  to  parents 
as  to  their  children.  All  of  his  books  published  by  Henry 
T.  Coates  &  Co.  are  re-issued  in  London,  and  many  have 
been  translated  into  other  languages.  Mr.  Ellis  is  a  writer 
of  varied  accomplishments,  and,  in  addition  to  his  stones,  is 
the  author  of  historical  works,  of  a  number  of  pieces  of  pop- 


8          HENRY  T.   COATES  &  CO.'S  POPULAR  JUVENILES. 

ular  music  and  has  made  several  valuable  inventions.  Mi. 
Ellis  is  in  the  prime  of  his  mental  and  physical  powers,  and 
great  as  have  been  the  merits  of  his  past  achievements,  there 
is  reason  to  look  for  more  brilliant  productions  from  his  pen 
'•n  the  near  future. 


DEERFOOT  SERIES. 

3  vols.  BY  EDWARD  S.  ELLIS.  $3.00 

Hunters  of  the  Ozark.  The  Last  War  Trail. 

Camp  in  the  Mountains. 

LOG  CABIN  SERIES. 

3  vols.  BY  EDWARD  S.  ELLIS.  $3-oo 

Lost  Trail.  Footprints  in  the  Forest. 

Camp-Fire  and  Wigwam. 

BOY  PIONEER  SERIES. 

3  vols.  BY  EDWARD  S.  ELLIS.  $3.00 

Ned  in  the  Block-House.  Ned  on  the  River. 

Ned  in  the  Woods. 

THE  NORTHWEST  SERIES. 

3  vols.  BY  EDWARD  S.  ELLIS.  $3.00 

Two  Boys  in  Wyoming.  Cowmen  and  Rustlers. 

A  Strange  Craft  and  its  Wonderful  Voyage. 

BOONE  AND  KENTON  SERIES. 

3  vols.      '          BY  EDWARD  S.  ELLIS.  $3.00 

Shod  with  Silence.  In  the  Days  of  the  Pioneers. 

Phantom  of  the  River. 

IRON  HEART,  WAR  CHIEF  OF  THE  IROQUOIS. 

i  vol.  BY  EDWARD  S.  ELLIS.  |i.oo 

THE  SECRET  OF  COFFIN  ISLAND. 

i  vol.  BY  EDWARD  S.  ELLIS.  |i.oo 

THE  BLAZING   ARROW. 

i  vol.  BY  EDWARD  S.  ELLIS.  f  i.oo 


H«NRY  T.   COATES  A   CO.'S  POPULAR  JUVENILES 


J.  T.  TROWBRIDGE. 

NEITHER  as  a  writer  does  he  stand  apart  from  the  great 
currents  of  life  and  select  some  exceptional  phase  or  odd 
combination  of  circumstances.  He  stands  on  the  common 
level  and  appeals  to  the  universal  heart,  and  all  that  he  sug- 
gests or  achieves  is  on  the  plane  and  in  the  line  of  march  of 
the  great  body  of  humanity. 

The  Jack  Hazard  series  of  stories,  published  in  the  late 
Our  Young  Folks,  and  continued  in  the  first  volume  of  St. 
Nicholas,  under  the  title  of  "Fast  Friends,"  is  no  doubt 
destined  to  hold  a  high  place  in  this  class  of  literature.  The 
delight  of  the  boys  in  them  (and  of  their  seniors,  too)  is 
well  founded.  They  go  to  the  right  spot  every  time.  Trow- 
bridge  knows  the  heart  of  a  boy  like  a  book,  and  the  heart 
of  a  man,  too,  and  he  has  laid  them  both  open  in  these  books 
in  a  most  successful  manner.  Apart  from  the  qualities  that 
render  the  series  so  attractive  to  all  young  readers,  they 
have  great  value  on  account  of  their  portraitures  of  American 
country  life  and  character.  The  drawing  is  wonderfully 
accurate,  and  as  spirited  as  it  is  true.  The  constable,  Sel- 
lick,  is  an  original  character,  and  as  minor  figures  where  will 
we  find  anything  better  than  Miss  Wansey,  and  Mr.  P.  Pip- 
kin, Esq.  The  picture  of  Mr.  Dink's  school,  too,  is  capital, 
and  where  else  in  fiction  is  there  a  better  nick-name  than 
that  the  boys  gave  to  poor  little  Stephen  Treadwell,  "Step 
Hen,"  as  he  himself  pronounced  his  name  in  an  unfortunate 
moment  when  he  saw  it  in  print  for  the  first  time  in  his  les- 
son in  school. 

On  the  whole,  these  books  are  very  satisfactory,  and 
afford  the  critical  reader  the  rare  pleasure  of  the  works  that 
are  just  adequate,  that  easily  fulfill  themselves  and  accom- 
plish all  they  set  out  to  do. — Scribner's  Monthly. 


10        HENRY  T.  COATES  &  CO.'S  POPULAR  JUVENILES. 

JACK  HAZARD  SERIES. 

6  vols.  BY  J.  T.  TROWBRI  GE.  $7.25 

Jack  Hazard  and  His  Fortunes.    Doing  His  Best. 

The  Young  Surveyor.  A  Chance  for  Himself. 

Fast  Friends.  Lawrence's  Adventures. 


ROUNDABOUT  LIBRARY. 

For  Boys  and  Girls. 
(97  Volumes.)  75c.  per  Volume. 

The  attention  of  Librarians  and  Bookbuyers  generally 
Is  called  to  HENRY  T.  COATES  &  Co.'s  ROUNDABOUT 
LIBRARY,  by  the  popular  authors. 

EDWARD  S.  ELLIS,  MARGARET  VANDEGRIFT, 

HORATIO  ALGER,  JR.,  HARRY  CASTLEMON, 

C.  A.  STEPHENS,  G.  A.  HENTY, 

LUCY  C.  LILLIE  and  others. 

No  authors  of  the  present  day  are  greater  favorites  with 
boys  and  girls. 

Every  book  is  sure  to  meet  with  a  hearty  reception  by 
young  readers. 

Librarians  will  find  them  to  be  among  the  most  popular 
books  on  their  lists. 

Complete  lists  and  net  prices  furnished  on  application. 


HENRY  T.  COATES  &  CO. 

PHILADELPHIA. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  LOS  ANGELES 

THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below 


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